By GEORGE FJELD
BRANDON—Brandon’s Tim Shields is nothing short of a magician. While he cannot wave a magic wand and transform a room or house, he does wield a mighty hammer and saw to accomplish some amazing renovations! Shields has performed his magic all over Brandon, from the Brandon Senior Center to the Wesleyan Church to the old parsonage on Park Street. His eye for detail and his imaginative solutions to difficult construction problems lead to very impressive results. I’m sharing two photos of the great room in my house to demonstrate what talent he has. Tim did this project in 2017 and his creativity and fine craftsmanship have stood the test of time. This room is comfortable, functional and beautiful as well as greatly enjoyed by Carol, me, and our family.
Shields got his start at his father’s elbow in the Northeast Kingdom. His dad was a builder and talked to and taught his son well. When driving around the countryside, his dad would often say to his mom, “If I had that house, I’d do such and such.” Tim, in the back seat, would be listening carefully and making his own plans for houses. He still likes to visualize changes he would make or designs he’d like to build.
The Shields family moved to the Vergennes area while Tim was in high school. He got good grades but hated the classroom. After graduation, Shields sought to pursue a pastoral career in Bible School. The frock didn’t fit! Oration/sermonizing for 3-5 minutes was not his thing and he left. He ended his collegiate career at Vermont Technical College studying architecture and building. While most of his classmates went into management or estimating, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on a tool. “I didn’t want to sit behind a desk,” said Shields.
Shields Construction was started in 1984 when Tim’s boss laid him off work in February on two days’ notice. Lettering on the side of the wooden rack in his truck came the next day. At 21 years old, Tim recalls, “I put my head down and did the work, let somebody else talk about it.” Shields was still in Vergennes at that time but it wasn’t long before he moved to Brandon. His first Brandon job was the entry way for the Senior Citizens. He still worked in northern Addison County and commuted 45 minutes each way. His son Tim was a wrestler and pretty soon other parents found out he was a builder. I know, I was one of them. I hired him to do some work in my office on Union Street and was really impressed with his work. Pretty soon his commute was over as the local jobs were coming quickly. They haven’t stopped.
Tim has worked on many houses in Brandon and Forestdale as well as some surrounding communities. He’s done public projects like the Wesleyan Church and the Brandon Town Hall. where the stage and the concession stand are both Tim Shields’ work. Tim flipped houses on Park, High, Walnut, and Marble streets. Shields doesn’t work alone often. He’s never had a partner but usually has employees.
Shields loves designing spaces and the details in them. His love for problem solving comes in handy in his penchant for renovating older houses. “I like to make it work and keep the flavor of the house and its style.” Often when working on a house the project will expand beyond the original scope. We start on one thing and it just grows into another area. “As a builder, I have found that my customers trust me. I can’t always explain what I want to do so they’ll understand but they’ll say go ahead!”
Today, Shields is in high demand and is only taking jobs with people he knows and his neighbors. Presently his lead time is 2+ years! He’s proud that he’s never advertised beyond a decal on his truck. “And I’ve been in business long enough to get to work with people I like.”
Shields doesn’t lay carpet, do slate roofing, concrete, plumbing, or electric, but he will do anything else. That’s what his dad taught him years ago. Home builders in the Northeast Kingdom would start by digging the hole for your basement and finish by painting and hanging wallpaper. But what he loves to do is trim work, both inside and outside. He likes to get the details right for the home, consistent with its origins and architecture. Built-in cabinetry is also a favorite and really makes sense in old homes.
Tim built himself a barn at his house on Walnut Street, keeping its design consistent with the character and architecture of his house. He took his time with it, working on it when he had a down day or two when waiting on something or someone on a job. He used his spec flip houses the same way, keeping him and his crew busy.
A couple of his more difficult projects were houses he flipped. On Park Street, Tim found an extension on the back of the house which was unsupported. He thought “Oh no, there goes $6,000 in concrete work.” But he puzzled about it and came up with a way to support a two inch cement floor and added tubing for radiant heat. “It worked perfectly,” he recalls. The other dilemma he encountered was a staircase added to an old house built on a Sears and Roebuck plan on Marble Street. It was added in the middle of the house, eliminating the dining room and accessing a single bedroom on the second floor. At only 1,300 square feet, he needed to make use of all the space. It took two weeks but Tim came up with a design to make the downstairs functional with a living room, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and a bathroom with a staircase to access two bedrooms and a bath upstairs. Perhaps he used his wand on that project.
When asked if he might retire, Shields had a ready answer, “I’d like to manage jobs for other carpenters who don’t like the management end of the business and do a few jobs at my own pace. Maybe I’ll build smaller houses that could be for older retired folks or function as starter homes for young folks.” Luckily for his loyal customers, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be closing up shop anytime soon.
