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Hey Portland, I’m Hiring Help… And Need A Couple of Rooms For Some Fun Makeovers!
Hey all, as things ramp up again over here after a bit of a creative sabbatical. I’m excited that there are some big projects happening, but I am rather understaffed on my own project and while I’ve been doing a ton of house stuff on the weekends to try to stay on top of it all, I’m looking for a few people (as well as a couple of houses for makeovers) to help. These are all Portland-based (ideally close to SW). Here’s what I’m hoping to find:
- A house manager/personal assistant. Part-time (10-15 hours on slower weeks, up to 25 on busier weeks). There is so much to do over here, a lot of it very physical that I can’t do alone or it doesn’t make sense for me to spend my time. I made a to-do list so people understand the general day-to-day expectation (and I think it fun to see other people’s todo lists): receive boxes, break down boxes, figure out how to recycle boxes, remove boxes, replant plants into large pots, cement glue large broken pot back together, plaster the pots? paint pots? power wash back deck, book painters, pick up paint, put together furniture, help me move so much furniture, hang art, book handy person, pick up groceries, put groceries away, organize prop closet, move more furniture, prep for shoots (which may include cleaning that room), sell furniture on Facebook, coordinate furniture with upholstery company, organize all props, taking out trash when full, clean up after lunches on shoot days, walk dogs if needed, help execute some more DIY ideas, run errands, return things via shipping or in-store, water plants, help manage subs, keep styled room styled nicely… the list really goes on and on. This is a position that doesn’t need a lot of fancy design skills, just great problem-solving and self-starting skills, a very positive attitude, honesty, the ability to read the room, and a lot of willingness to do anything. The hours are flexible – but mostly Monday-Thursday, during the daytime. This is $20-25 an hour and will start as an independent contractor. Obviously, anything can happen from there, but this is not a styling or design position – it’s a big ole helper that is much needed around our house as we gear up for more and more shoots (and starting to think about how to clear out and organize the other buildings on the property to get them ready for projects next year). I think this is a great job for a musician, artist, or maker looking for some consistency during the day or simply someone who likes to move their body, make some extra money, and take pride in keeping this lady’s house intact and organized during a lot of disruptive and chaotic production. Could this lead to styling help? Sure, but right now I need physical help.
- A video and social media creative production person 1-3 days a week, freelance – with rates TBD. Emily M. has been shooting our social and then sending it down to Mal to edit and post. Many days it works, but we all agree that for big reveals or really interesting projects (like hanging an epic gallery wall or a day of rearranging furniture in a room) having someone who is tapped into the creative here when it comes to video production (and therefore social video) would be just lovely (and far less clunky). I don’t need or want a full production crew – instead, a fun person to help direct our video content to be better, tell me what to do, and help with consistency, especially around partnership, and reveal content. Likely hourly pay or day rate, and work as an independent contractor/freelance. We’d shoot two days a week (9 am-3 pm ideally) then edit outside of that.
- A great handy person. This is a universal hole we are missing in the world. I’m looking for someone with experience that has their own tools to help me with all things home repair. For example, I need someone to change out our hanging porch sofa from chains to rope, hang some super heavy art, re-caulk some areas after settling, paint small dry walls areas, help my brother frame out our greenhouse, change out sink water filters, switch out sconces, hang string lights, hang a super heavy mirror, power wash all the things, etc. This would vary per week, but I’d really love someone consistent who knows the house (and depending on where we land with #1, the needs might vary as well).
We are also looking for a couple of homes for projects:
- A no demo-reno kitchen to feature a new kitchen island. The new island doesn’t have any plumbing, gas, or electrical (but it’s a VERY pretty piece of furniture with a lot of storage). The kitchen would get a cosmetic upgrade (paint cabinets, new lighting, new tile if needed, updated appliances if needed) but no walls or plumbing moved (ideally). Great natural light is a huge plus and the ability to shoot an island from many angles (ideally not a galley kitchen). Timing is ASAP for a June shoot (so you’d get an updated kitchen in 3 months!!). You would need to contribute a construction budget, knowing that you’d get a lot of product and my services for free. We also have a budget as well – but it’s not endless. If you have this kitchen please email submissions to hello@emilyhendersondesign.com with many many many photos and the location. We will be scouting locations Monday and Tuesday (so send over the weekend – today and tomorrow – sorry for the rush!!!!) The deadline is this coming Monday 3/6!
- A feel-good family makeover room/s. I was watching some of our older makeover videos with our kids the other day for the first time (Sylvia’s and our first flash makeover) and y’all they are so fun and just incredibly rewarding. We decided it’s the perfect family project for the summer and the kids got SO excited to help design and do a surprise. I’m hoping to be able to do one late this summer. Ideally, you would nominate a family in Portland that could use this in their life and you’d be involved in helping and garnering help from others depending on what it requires (i.e. other family members to help paint, etc). It doesn’t need to be someone in total dire straights – just someone who is maybe in a challenging position in life and unable to do this for themselves. This would be just furniture/paint/decor (i.e. not a remodel) and likely 1-2 rooms (similar to what we’ve done before). Send through their story/photos if you can and know that we’ll take submissions for a while and likely not start until early summer, and likely execute in August (so if you don’t hear from us asap don’t be surprised).
I just want to pre-thank anyone who submits! It’s going to be an exciting year. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: A Quick Trip To Target: The Little Things That Make Me Feel Good And Pulled Together
Wow, that personal assistant job is my dream job, but I’m on the other side of the country, with my other dream job already.
I still love Sylvia’s makeover most of all. I was thinking about with fondness the other day bc it was the sole inspiration for my bedroom, which I still LOVE several years later. (But I still gotta hang art maybe today’s the day)
Thanks for your daily content. I tried to quit tuning in a few years ago (when the comments were going thru a too-icky phase.), but that lasted about a month because I just love all the pretties around here!
Hi,
Enjoying your posts from a wintry Canada, where I am currently experiencing a ” spa-thermal” experience with hot-tubs and saunas, cold dips etc. Obviously can’t apply for a job but I totally would if I were in the vicinity.
Thought of you and your Soake pool, and wondered if you thought of adding a sauna, which I don’t think would be very expensive, but I think would add to the exterior pool experience, and relatively simple to instal since you have so much space, and since you seem to enjoy your sauna blanket so much.
Geez! I’m your person House Manager/PA, but all the way in Australia!!??
That’s wast I do on the saily here around my cottage and big garden … and for neighbours around a few blocks, including wrangling kids!
Mind you, $25 p/h is minimum wage here.
Ah well, the tyranny of distance. ?
LOL… I can even write well (when I’m not typing with one finger on a tablet, latest night!)??
It’s not anywhere near a living wage in Portland, unfortunately!
Cost of living in Australia can be berserk – because we don’t have the population mass to buy in such bulk, we’re so far away from everywhere else (transport costs) and the Aussie dollar is currently under 70 cents US.
Almost nothing is subsidised by the govt, including food, and there’s 10% tax on almost everything.
So, wages are higher as a result. For example, even IKEA costs a big chunk more here.
On the flipside, I’m immensely grateful for our universal healthcare. It’s a game-changer.?
Oh fun! An exciting year indeed!
Also – love the opening photo of you Em in your dreamy sunroom! It’s just a perfect shot all round.
This has me vision-boarding the to-do list of my future house-and-life manager :). Wishing you your perfect match!
I’m surprised you don’t have a lead on a great handy person from all the contacts you have in Portland. I would love one myself and have no idea how to find a good one (and I have no renovation contacts whatsoever).
Find one good trades person and you can find others. Ask for recommendations or if you really don’t know where to start find a local plumbing supply store (one that looks like chaos and sells mainly to plumbers and contractors directly and ask for recommendations on plumbers. A good place will ask what kind of work and likely recommend one for drain clearing versus another for pipe work, remodel etc. Then research those recommendations online and try using one the next time you need work. When you find one you like ask for recommendations for other trades people (roofer, general contractor, electrical, pest, paint, etc.). Often they will know people but sometimes not. I actually got my painter by calling to check references on a roofer (who I ultimately used). It’s hard to find trades people who are available these days so the other route is to ask your real estate agent (they often have a list of folks) or even a coworker, parent at your kids school etc. You want to find out who the locals use that don’t advertise all the time and often if they are busy they have subs and other people they refer. Don’t go… Read more »
Those people you mentioned want more than 25$ an hour and often bid on jobs
Thanks Katherine I’m the OP and I’ve tried some of your suggestions. I definitely know that hardware stores will not make recommendations. I’ve never looked for a plumbing supply store. I’ve found it incredibly difficult to find any kind of tradespeople…sites like Angie’s List are not as useful as they appear and Yelp is a sinkhole. Thanks for your thoughtful response! I’ll look for a plumbing supply.
Hi Alice,
I can’t tell from your comment if you are the point person in this or not, but if you are I sent an email with interest in both #1&3 opportunities. I sent the email to the hello account. I hope to connect. Thank you!
They aren’t paying enough. They are expecting a ton of work for what is really minimum wage here in Portland. Typical.
Somebody else said $25 is above minimum wage?!??
Why vote that down??
It’s an international blog and it’s immensely unreasonable to expect people around the globe to know all about wages, conditions in the USA.
Seriously? It’s a rather insular attitude.
It is above minimum wage, but in the capitalist dystopia that is the US, minimum wage is nowhere near a living wage. So minimum wage in Portland is, as I recall, $14/hour. Absolutely no one can live on that. Politicians defend the low minimum wage by arguing that those jobs are meant for teenagers with part-time jobs, not adults who need to pay bills on that wage. But that’s bullshit, and many of those jobs are taken by people who are adults who need to pay bills, and it’s impossible. Those jobs generally do not offer benefits, sick leave, healthcare, etc.
I think people interpreted your “it’s above minimum wage” as “therefore, it’s an ok salary”, and reacted to that. It reads as a defense of a low wage, not as a question, which doesn’t seem to be what you intended.
Hi Emily! Hi. I just sent an email to hello@emilyhendersondesign. I’m very interested in the assistant position and I’m Portland based. Thanks!
Hi Emily! My family/tv room needs help. It’s a cluttered mess that is just a holding space for stuff. It’s also a pretty blank space (except for the clutter). Any help wokld be so appreciated!!
Hate to be that person but I’m not sure the personal assistant job qualifies for 1099 work under the IRS rules. If you specify hours and they have to be onsite to do the work and it’s a substantial portion of their income it won’t meet the means test.
Good point. Household workers (like nannies, house managers, etc.) almost never qualify as 1099 employees.
Sounds like a lot of wonderful opportunities for someone. I’m in the Midwest and contract workers start 35-50$ an hour. I think it’s because there are no benefits included and they have to pay payroll taxes.
I don’t want to be that person but maybe increasing the hourly pay would get you need.
It’s really hard to get handy people that have those skills for minimum wage.
My neighbor who is 17 required 30$ to move a metal cabinet from my attic. The job took about 10 min.
Yeah, I wonder if it’s not so much that it’s ‘a hole that’s missing in the world’, vs in-demand skilled workers who charge high rates and are not typically available immediately and for whatever hours you need.
Hi Emily!
I just sent you and email, my family and I are super excited to be considered for the family room remodel. Thank you!
Personal assistant job
Hi, I sent an email to hello@emilyhenderson. Com concerning my interest in the personal assistant position. I’m so excited for the opportunity. Thanks ?
The website filled in the wrong email. I sent it to hello@emilyhendersondesign.com. lol
What a year you have is store! Is Hood River too far away to be considered for the family room makeover? It’s the perfect project for your incredibly talented team.
Hi Emily!
What wonderful opportunities! And we are planning a kitchen update. Could Corvallis, OR be considered SW Portland?? Lol
Hello how do I enter my family room? It really could use some love..thanks!
Read the post – it tells ypu how.
Try Nextdoor.com to look for a handyman. Your neighbors may be able to recommend someone they have used and been happy with.
I know a great local handyhuman who is also a fine artist! Whats the best way to apply?
Hi Emily! I’m very interested in both our assistant and handyman positions. I just sent an introductory email to your hello account. I hope that’s where you wanted submissions. Thanks!
-Michael
If you’re willing to trek up to Seattle I have a kitchen that is perfect for what you describe. It’s one half of a larger family room in a 1960 midcentury. The kitchen is next to south facing windows and we want to convert the current U shape counters/cabinetry into a proper island in the middle, the layout is such that the part of the U that would “convert” into an island doesn’t have any appliances so the island wouldn’t need it either. Can’t wait to see what you do with this one either way.
Read the post – it says how to apply and to send lots and lots and lots of photos.
The pay for the personal assistant position is really low and not livable for someone in the Portland area. It’s worth considering why you say you support liberal ideals but aren’t implementing them in your own business. Given the lifestyle you show on this blog, it’s clear you can afford to pay more.
It’s a no education, no training necessary job opportunity. The offer is much higher than minimum wage where I live. I don’t know why someone should make more money just because the person paying them makes more money/can afford it. Should we pay for things based on our income only? Should things cost less for those who make less money? How does that work? People who make more money are already in a higher tax bracket. The logic of your comment does not make sense. It’s an entry level job of checking things off a to-do list, which most of us do for free in our own homes. So the fact that someone can get paid to do that, great! Also, if it doesn’t work for you, no need to apply. It clearly will work for some people and their life circumstances.
The comment section of this blog is wild.
Uh just NO. Of course if you can afford to, and express how important it is to you to pay fair wages, you ought to pay your employees more than the strict minimum!! Isn’t that often what makes some companies more attractive than others, for basically the same role? Why pay the minimum just because you can? Especially for a job that seems quite demanding and not very gratifying in my opinion. If you can get a great person for this and retain and thank them for their hard work with a higher wage, then it’s total win-win!
It’s not the minimum wage. It’s well over.
Are you in Portland? The minimum wage is not a livable wage. At all.
It’s a 1099 job (according to Emily, allegedly) so the individual would have to pay the social security and Medicare portion of employment taxes themselves (6.2% for social security and 1.45% for Medicare) that an employer would pay if this was a W2 job. Out of $20/hour that’s almost $2 per hour. As of July 2023, the minimum wage in Portland will be $16/hour. So, okay, Emily is offering to pay about $2 per hour above minimum wage for skilled laborers to work at her whim (maybe 10 hours per week, maybe 25) with no benefits.
It’s not for skilled labor. It’s for a personal assistant/helper. There is no pay rate applied to the handy person description because that obviously is based on skill and experience and that person probably has a set rate.
There is no such thing as “unskilled labor.”
Actually, having had PA’s as a senior manager, it’s a skilled job and carries a lot of logistical aptitude and secretarial/tech skills to be efficient and effective.
S – Baristas at Starbucks in Portland make between $15.75 and $17.88 (based on a current job posting), and Starbucks baristas get medical insurance benefits so long as they work about 20 hours per week.
Unlike others, I’m not saying that Emily has some moral obligation to pay more, but she should take into consideration the pay for jobs that she is competing with if she wants to find a good candidate. If an individual can make as much or more (if you include benefits) as a Starbucks barista, why would they want to work harder for less to work for Emily?
Also, the job description definitely does NOT sound like it meets the definition of an independent contractor.
Wait. Some of the comments about the starting pay for the “personal assistant” job just seem mean spirited. And quite frankly, the starting pay seems to fit the skills required for the part time job. The job sounds less like a personal assistant position and more like a part time helper position. All of the assertions that this is not minimum wage or a living wage are simply not supported by quick research. Minimum wage is $13.50 in Multnomah County, Oregon where Portland is located. According to MIT, a livable wage for a single person with no children is $21.85. Now, if you are a single adult supporting three (3) kids, a living wage is $69.46 and no unskilled part-time helper job is paying that amount.
Portland metro minimum wage is $14.75. It will raised again this year in accordance with inflation.
This is much different than waiting tables and the like, stated as ‘minimum wage’ positions.
Independent contractor jobs need to pay significantly more because they don’t come with sick pay, leave, healthcare, etc.
We go back to my point: WHY pay the legal minimum when what you wish for is someone who goes above and beyond? On top of this, Emily clearly has the means to pay more and people are just wishing she’ll do the decent thing.
It will be interesting to see if the job ever even gets filled. The whole job description is just straight up delusional. I don’t think Emily realizes how much something like a bartending gig pays because those are the jobs that musicians, artists and makers are taking to continue to be able living in Portland. I actually feel bad for the naive people who might apply for this household helper position. 25 random hours max, maybe on some weeks??? Why waste your time. As an employer you need to realize the other employers you are competing against. That should’ve been the bare minimum consideration before writing this post. And if you’re not willing to compete on pay then there better be some other incentive, not more disincentives (e.g. NO benefits??)
Ugh! We just remodeled our kitchen with Ikea. It came out so incredible but I would have LOVED to have had your expert advice! If you ever create content around people who DIY their kitchens or baths successfully themselves then I’d be so happy to participate!
Your 1099 contractor sounds a lot like an employee.
If you are ever in Yuma, AZ, I have a horrible rental and have permission to paint and change things. I am doing it myself, but it would be something you could do so well. It is an ugly 70s apartment with paneling. You can imagine the rest, lol
Hi there! If you are looking for anyone who needs to bring their master bath out of the 1980s #jacuzzisunkentub #carpet or a massive cosmetic deck overhaul I am your girl!
I love your description of managing boxes. Half the time I wait a week to open boxes because of all of the chores that come next!
Please make sure you are treating your independent contractors ethically! I know that some people hire independent contractors and treat them like employees. They often do it to save money on payroll tax and benefits. For me, if I get hired for an independent contractor job, I only take it if they offer major flexibility on when I work and the pay is quite a bit more than an employee in the same situation.
Submitting resume and email for the personal assistant and social media roles. I am very interested and live in NE. Thanks, in advance for your time!
Hi again,
I just wanted to reach back out as I was never sure if I was sending my info to the correct place. I’m very interested in sitting down to talk about a position for a combo of your assistant and handyman needs. I come with a very full set of tools, and abilities as well as a full sized tundra that can tow up to 11k. I hope we can connect.
Thanks again!
Michael
Hi there! My friend shared this link with me. My name is Drew, and I’m an actual handy person for a living and would love to chat with you, maybe we can work something out. I also live right in Multnomah Village, the heart of Southwest Portland! Cheers.
Hi!!
I don’t know if we can nominate ourselves for the room makeover but here we are. I’m a single 30 something in Portland. In the pandemic I bought my first house, a 70s wood paneled shag carpet nightmare/playhouse. In that time I’ve bought my first power tools, built walls, painted etc. and just poured money in, but it’s just me, while I also work a full time job and try to have a life. And there’s still SO FAR to go. My family room, the office, my bedroom especially so… so sad. The entire basement… which is currently tiki themed with rafia from the 80s still on the posts downstairs… lots to choose from. Would love to chat further.