Back in 2001, Matt left his job as a journalist and attended trade school in Seattle. He then went to work as an apprentice carpenter for a design/build firm and honed his skills under the tutelage of one of the Northwest's traditional master builders.

Moving to San Francisco in 2004, Matt began working with Justin, running large remodel jobs for a general contractor. The two partnered to form Vonnegut Thoreau Construction and began building projects on-time and on-budget, within a creative and positive atmosphere. He splits his time between the office, developing new projects and working on jobsites, constructing current ones.

Matt is a UC Davis graduate and holds a Master's Degree in Literature from CSU Sacramento He lives in Oakland with his wife and two stepsons.