Handyman Bio

My name is Matt and I am a native Portland metro Oregonian. My dad was a brick mason contractor working independently on residential homes all over this area. I started helping him as a hod carrier when I was in middle school during my summer vacations. That was my first taste of working on job sites in peoples homes. My grandfather was a carpenter / handyman in his older years and when I was in high school I helped him as well during my summer vacations. He taught me all about wood working and general handyman wisdom. When I was 16 I helped him re-roof a duplex. He was 85 and was hauling bundles of roofing materials up the ladder on his shoulder all day! He was amazing. He finally retired when he was 90!

I am also an aspiring artist. I work mainly with oil paint. You can see my work at matthewsmallen.com if you are interested. I started doing handyman work to pay the bills because selling art is not exactly a dependable income. But I found out that I love fixing things for people and working with tools. It also gets me out of the house and meeting lots of new people. I get to see all the kinds of homes and all the neighborhoods around the Portland area, which has been quite fascinating. I love Portland and the people here are uncommonly nice.