A very handy handyman. An interview with Darren House.
How many times, as a mover, have you needed someone to help out with a non-moving service? Maybe a gas cooker needs plumbing in, a picture hung, or a shelf put up and you just don’t have the time to help them. That’s what Darren House does. Call him a handyman if you like – but it’s a bit more than that.
Darren joined the moving industry in 1994 with Cadogan Tate and during his career he worked with Bishops Move, Farrer and Fenwick, Stephen Morris Shipping and, most recently, with Wentworth. Darren is a practical chap. Throughout his time working with movers he doubled up with a military career as an engineer in the TA Regiment. Darren would take every opportunity to go on secondment with the TA when time allowed, particularly during the quieter winter months.
“I spent my time building bridges, building runways, driving and blowing things up,” said Darren. “It was just like the moving business really.” And in many ways it was. Although a surveyor will have been to see a move, when the crew arrives they are faced with a task that needs doing. It’s their job to get it done on time and solve any problems they may face along the way.
Many who know Darren will do so from his involvement with BAR. He was encouraged to take an active part in the trade association right from the start. He started to attend Area meetings and became the secretary of the New Met Area. He was also very heavily involved in the Young Movers and BARTS (BAR Training Services). But although his time in the moving industry had been generally happy, his last appointment had been less so and, in October last year, he left the industry. That meant, of course, he also had to leave behind his BAR work that he enjoyed so much. “I loved being involved with the people and the management,” he said. “When I had to leave it was a bit like being expelled from school.”
But Darren didn’t wait too long before renewing his contacts. He had a few months off as breathing space, before starting his new company In House Services – a rather neat play on words. When working in operations Darren had always found it hard to find reliable, practical people who could turn their hands to almost any household job as an added value service to his customers. Using his TA experience, his moving experience, his driving qualifications, and his experience in DIY, he decided to fill the gap.
“I can do most things around the house,” he said. “Assembling wardrobes, hanging pictures, putting up shelves, removing windows and making good and repairing damage should an accident occur. If I can’t do something I have a network of people who can – electricians, plumbers, gas engineers, even builders.” Darren is also happy to take on removal work, either portering, driving a company’s vehicle or performing discreet moves in his own unmarked van.
Although Darren spent much of his working life working in offices performing a management role, he admits that his heart has always been closer to the road. “I used to get frustrated with the on-road staff sometimes, probably because I was a bit jealous of them,” he said. Now he is firmly in his comfort zone. “I’m just a problem solver. I’m comfortable within myself and know that I’m doing the right thing.”
If you would like to include handyman services for your customers, but don’t have the skills to do it, contact Darren@inhouseservices.org.