A Conversation with Richard Wallace
How did R.S. Wallace get started? Tell us your origin story.
My love of carpentry dates back five decades to my experience as a student working on a two-story post and beam barn on a beautiful hillside in British Columbia. I worked with a local homesteader who built his own sawmill using an old straight 8 engine and a model A transaxle. We cut the logs into beams and the two of us built the barn from the ground up with the lumber we cut ourselves. I was hooked. Working on that barn began my lifelong love of wood and the joy of being able to shape that wood into buildings.
When I moved back to Portland I traded carpentry for rent during college and then had the good fortune to work as an apprentice to a local builder, Mark Lindgren, who taught me so much in the time I worked for him. I went out on my own and started R.S. Wallace Construction Co. in Portland, Oregon in 1987.
What sparked your interest in construction and remodeling?
It really was that formative experience in British Columbia. There's something profound about transforming raw materials into something functional and beautiful. Taking logs, milling them into beams, and creating a structure that will stand for generations—that process captured my imagination and never let go.
What were some early challenges getting things off the ground?
Building by myself those first years was hard. Figuring out all that it took to run a business, working all day then coming home to check my messages on the answering machine, bidding and planning at night and on the weekends.
I remember once getting a trailer of concrete jackknifed up a steep driveway and having to shovel it all out by hand into a pickup borrowed from a friend. Those early lessons stay with you.
What was the building environment like in the beginning?
It was a lot different then. We did a lot more of the work ourselves instead of hiring subcontractors for insulation, drywall, demolition, concrete, excavation. Now things are more specialized.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Cutting wood. Creating buildings. Transforming spaces. The joy of working with an incredibly talented and hardworking crew.
I love working with amazing architects and designers to turn their visions into reality. The collaboration with my son, daughter, and our crew as we plan, price and build or remodel homes brings me tremendous satisfaction.
There's also the excitement of starting a new build—the pouring of the foundation, seeing the structure take shape, getting the details right, and finally handing over the completed job. The satisfaction of our customers makes it all worthwhile.
