WordPress · plugins · web apps
Full-stack themes, plugins, and web apps for shops and agencies.
I build WordPress platforms shops can edit and agencies can hand off without guesswork. Sage themes, custom plugins, and clear deploy paths — not page-builder lock-in. Open for full-time, contract, or freelance.
At a glance
Most production work lived inside employers, so I am now publishing Sage/WordPress work, plugins, and spec builds on GitHub.
Employers on the record: Saliense, All Native Group, and Knowledge Capital Associates (USMC).
PowerApps, Power Automate, and InfoPath for federal agencies — details on the hire page. There is no public demo.
WordPress is the specialty. Adjacent work — APIs, React, Power Platform, deploys — is in range because I am a self-taught problem solver with 17 years in-house.
Hiring managers can ask for a private walkthrough of constrained employer work under NDA.
About me
I started in higher-ed marketing. The public trail is Sage, WordPress, plugins, and spec builds on GitHub.
The gallery showcases WordPress themes and plugins I ship on Sage 11. I have done a handful of silent agency-sub jobs; this site is not a client grid.
Skills & tools
Tools I reach for on real projects. Not an exhaustive list.
WordPress
JavaScript
Frontend
Dev Tools
AI & Tooling
Workflow
Marketing
Process
Four steps. Written scope. You own everything at the end.
Tell me who the site is for, what's broken, and what a win looks like. A paragraph is plenty — no spec doc required.
I send a plain list of work, a rough timeline, and an explicit list of what's out of scope. You approve or push back.
I use modern tools — including AI — on the repeatable parts. Every line ships after I have read and tested it. You get staged previews on real pages, not mockups.
You own everything: the domain, the hosting, the database, the code. I write you a plain-language handoff guide and stay reachable for questions.
Honest expectations
Most conversations start with “how much does a website cost?” These answers might save us both time.
Good fit
Not a fit
How I work
Sage 11, Blade, Tailwind, Vite, PHP 8.3 — GitHub deploys. From the first note to a clean handoff.
Hosting, DNS, the database, and the Git repo sit in accounts under your name before we close. Theme, plugins, and deploy notes go with the site.
Separate host login, GitHub access, and wp-admin for the shop — never a seat under my reseller account.
I build with Sage 11, Blade templates, Tailwind, and page fields shops edit in WordPress — not a page builder. If an owner cannot update hours or a product in a couple of minutes, the theme is not done.
Before launch I walk every editable field, leave a short handoff note, and record a Loom when the edit path is non-obvious.
Cursor, Claude, and ChatGPT help with scaffolding. I still read, test, and own every line that reaches production.
A typical marketing site lands in about one to two weeks. Same review bar as a longer build — less time on work that does not need a human rewrite.
Custom work lives in focused PHP plugins or theme modules with standard WordPress hooks, PHPDoc, and a clean uninstall path. If a feature fits in dozens of lines, it should not arrive as a kitchen-sink plugin.
Most sites run a short plugin list. I audit and remove weight that does not earn its keep.
Blade stays thin; logic lives in App helpers with typed functions and explicit names. If another developer cannot follow a function in half a minute, I rewrite it before handoff.
PHPDoc on public functions, short files, and Git commits that explain why — not clever abbreviations.
Semantic HTML, keyboard paths, and contrast that hold up. Labels, errors, and handoff notes read like they were written for a busy shop owner — welcoming to developers, clear for everyone else.
Field labels and button text get the same care as the public page. If I have to explain a field, I rename it.
Projects
I publish Gettysburg WordPress projects here — live demos for shops, tours, and inns. Hire me on this site for a real build.
Walking tours with a simple booking calendar.
History tours for visitors. Clear list. Easy contact.
Land and farms. Grid, map, and simple filters.
Open source
Pushes, releases, and pull requests — newest first.
Featured
The repos I point developers to first. Each one is meant to be forked.
WalkRidge is a custom WordPress theme for walking and historical home tours. Clean performance, responsive layout, SEO-ready structure, and easy content management.
Responsive Design Responsive Website SEO Optimization WordPress WordPress Development WordPress Site
Acreline is a WordPress theme for farms, land, and historic homes — searchable listings, agents, and showing requests. Customizer identity, eight color styles, Sage 11. Demo and support by Matt Hummel.
WordPress WordPress Development WordPress Site WordPress Theme Roots Io Sage
Lightweight, server-rendered Table of Contents block for the WordPress block editor (Gutenberg). TOCflow auto-builds an accessible, SEO-friendly linked outline from your post's H2/H3/H4 headings — numbered or bulleted, zero setup. Free WordPress TOC plugin.
Accessibility Block Editor Gutenberg Gutenberg Block PHP SEO
Sage 11 WordPress theme for matthummel.com — Blade, Tailwind v4, Vite. Portfolio and services for a Gettysburg developer.
Bedrock Portfolio Roots Io Sage Theme WordPress Development WordPress Website
Journal
Practical notes from WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, React, APIs, and real project work. Most posts include code you can adapt or use.
Introduction This post walks through a practical WordPress Abilities API integration for...
Read "WordPress Abilities API integration — A Practical First Integration"More recent posts
The domain is in your name. The hosting account is yours. The database, the files, the code — all yours. I have no access after handoff unless you invite me. You can take everything to another developer tomorrow and they'll have what they need.
Development. I can work from your design, a reference site, or a well-described direction. For original design work, I'll refer you to someone who does it properly rather than half-guess at it.
A simple site with a few pages and a contact form: two to three weeks. Something with custom fields, filtering, or a booking system: four to eight weeks. I'll give you a realistic estimate during scoping, not an optimistic one.
Yes — that's the whole point. Pages use standard WordPress fields so editing feels like filling in a form, not touching code. I'll document anything unusual in plain English before I hand off.
Yes. I have worked as a silent sub on a handful of agency jobs. You keep the client relationship, I stay in the background. Rate is project-based. Write and tell me what you’re working on.
No. I have about 17 years of in-house employer web work. Most of that cannot be shown. Public GitHub is the trail I started in 2025.
PowerApps, Power Automate, and InfoPath for federal agencies are on the hire page. There is no public demo.
WordPress is the specialty. Adjacent work — APIs, React, Power Platform, deploys — is in range because I am a self-taught problem solver with 17 years in-house.
Theme install and brand starts around $400. A small shop site is usually $3,000–$6,000. Agency overflow is half-day, day, or a project floor. Full packages are on Services. Custom quotes when the scope is different.
Get in touch
Recruiters can write through the contact form. Shops can browse the Work page. I usually reply within one business day (ET).
