A woman with long, light brown hair sits on a dark green couch in a living room, smiling and looking at a tablet in her hand. She is wearing a white knit top and blue jeans. There are papers on her lap, and a pillow is next to her. The background shows a doorway, a staircase, and a wooden door.

About Sarah Wallace

I wait until I can feel what a home needs to become. Then I build it for the person who's actually going to live there.

I grew up in a construction family in small town Washington; my grandfather, father and brother all worked independently and for big contracting firms. I went in a different direction being the first person in my family to go to college.

I spent 15 years in corporate life — at Nike, Adidas, and in consulting, leading teams and large projects. I was good at it, but it never felt right for me.

I would fantasize about building vacation homes, I lived in my own renovation projects, until I finally realized that this is something I could be doing in my own way; using my vision and skills to think bigger.

My brother and I always talked about building something together. He died unexpectedly at 37. I left Nike not long after.

I'm building this business for both of us — using my vision and skills to think bigger than a job title ever let me. Now I renovate homes across Portland, but not in the flip-it-fast, cheap-tile, generic-builder sense.

I walk into a property, and I wait for the moment to come to me when I see how its going to become its best self. Often the first thing that I see is crowded spaces or interrupted flow; things that were popular in mid 1900’s houses in the Portland area. Within hours or a couple days it will come to me: “oh, we just have to move that door, or pull down that wall and expand this area” and then I can’t stop and the design concept pours out of me. I get into that flow state and know that I’m doing what I’ve always been meant to do.

Often, the homes that I buy are estates, which haven’t been updated in years. There is a lot of emotion tied to these homes, someone raised their family there, lived their dreams there. My goal always is to give the seller/the seller’s family the peace of knowing their home went to someone who honored it. Knowing that the home will evolve into that same thing for the next family.

And I want to do right by the neighborhood that surrounds the home. I try to check in with the neighbors and share what we are doing. I try to always hold an open house just for the neighborhood to see what we’ve done without it being focused on sales. I celebrate community and want to add to the community with what I bring.

Woman sitting on a kitchen counter in a modern kitchen with large skylight windows, white appliances, and wooden cabinetry, smiling at the camera.

More About the Founder

Sarah Wallace

When I'm not on a job site, I'm probably at the farmer’s market planning out my meals for the week. I love to cook, and I always try to cook healthy but comforting food. Or paddleboarding out at Merwin by where I grew up which is one of my favorite places in the world. I have 3 daughters, a husband and 2 cats (also girls, my husband is pretty outnumbered). I'm on the PTA board. I’m trying to keep up with a very full life and pursue my dreams at the same time.

It can be exhausting! And I’ve never been so happy.

I love yoga, I love to sauna, I love to be out in nature. Living in Portland, I think I live in one of the best places in the world.

I do this work so I'd never miss the school pickup line, and so I can fulfill my dream of renovating and designing homes where people actually want to gather.

Our Core Values

Our Values guide our work and our life. These are guidelines that share what to expect from us and those we partner and create with.

Beauty & Aesthetics

We don't call a home finished until it feels right. Cozy and stunning are not opposites. They are our standard.

Family

We do right by the home, the deal, and the people — even when it costs more or takes longer.

Community & Place

Integrity

We believe the home is a place that should bring the family together — the holidays in the kitchen, the kids in the backyard.

Connection

We bring good energy to every job site and every relationship. No judgment, ever — not about the home's history, and not about yours.

The Big Life

We know Portland's neighborhoods block by block. We'd rather sell to a family who'll love the street than close a faster deal with someone who won't.

We don't build for small dreams or safe choices. If you've built a big life, your home should be able to hold it.

Sarah Wallace Homes

Our Vision

A world where the family home brings people together and creates a sanctuary to connect with ourselves and others.

Our Mission

To build a recognizable standard in Portland neighborhoods and beyond that elevates our homes and lives.

OUR

PROJECTS

Past Projects

Open-concept living and kitchen area with a gray brick fireplace, modern chandelier, and wooden dining table with white chairs. The kitchen features white cabinets, a stainless steel stove, and a blue kitchen island. There is a vase with green foliage on the table, and to the right, a cozy sitting area with a chair, lamp, and large window showing trees outside.

84th Portland, Oregon

Modern dining area with a patterned wallpaper, wooden table with chairs, a vase with greenery, and a kitchen with barstools and wall art.

87th Portland, Oregon

Fairmount Portland, Oregon

VIEW PAST PROJECTS