Darren Watson

Darren’s Construction Journey

When I left school, I wasn’t quite sure what path to take. I thought electronics might be the way to go, so I gave it a shot. But after some time, I realised it wasn’t the right fit. I ended up working in a camera shop as a technician repairing cameras. Though it was a good experience, I soon knew I wanted to find a career with a clear direction.

Building construction caught my interest, so I made the leap, leaving my job and enrolling in college to take an HNC in Building Studies and Building Construction Technology – self-funded. While studying, I started looking for roles in construction, and eventually, a position opened up with a housebuilding company.

With just my college knowledge and no on-the-job experience, I went to the interview. They were impressed by my enthusiasm and the commitment I showed by putting myself through college. They hired me as a technical assistant in the drawing office, where I worked on amending drawings and had my first experiences on site. I loved the work and decided to pursue drafting more seriously, so I moved to an architectural firm as an architectural technician. Starting again with amendments, I eventually progressed to doing complete drawings.

The next step in my journey led me to combine my drawing skills with fire services at a county fire brigade, working in the fire protection department. I’d take sketches and dimensions collected by fire safety officers on-site and re-create them in a CAD system. It was a fantastic role, but I felt a pull to be out on-site myself, not just in the office.

With this in mind, I researched training courses for surveyors and found one that offered a two-year scheme, including a placement with a housing association. It was an ideal setup, balancing hands-on experience with college coursework. Surveying really clicked for me, and after completing my training, I went on to work with a few housing associations. Then I joined Bristol City Council in the regeneration area, where I had the chance to work on large projects.

Eventually, I felt I’d grown as much as I could in that role, so I moved to London to seek new opportunities. Starting with agency work around the city helped me gain varied experiences and get a feel for London. I later joined a housing association as a Project Surveyor and stayed there for 12 years, advancing to a senior role where I gained the bulk of my surveying expertise.

My career next took me to another housing association as a Senior Asset Management Surveyor, focusing on building surveys including fire safety and asbestos. Then, after the Grenfell tragedy, fire safety became a significant focus, and I shifted to handle more fire safety surveying. This led to a role specifically as a Fire Safety Surveyor and, in time, as a Building Safety Manager, where I was able to deepen my knowledge of the Building Safety Act and create safety cases.

Then, I came across the role at CDC and was intrigued by their vision to establish a Building Surveying department. Right from the interview, I knew I wanted to join. I felt a real affinity with the team, felt truly welcomed, and knew CDC would be a fantastic place to work.

Best project you have worked on

When I was working for Bristol City Council, I worked on a regeneration project called the Easton Renewal Programme. This was part of the Council’s Urban Renewal Strategy. It was an inner-city area which needed investment and was really close to my heart because it was near to where I grew up. The development included damp proofing, re-roofing, external decoration, renewal of bathrooms and kitchens etc. I was given a whole street as a project to oversee. I got satisfaction out of it because it was improving people’s lives.

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