Wrexham grandfather begins construction degree at 67 - taught by his own son

Date: 12 November, 2026

Starting a degree is challenging at any age. Doing it in your late 60s while renovating a 120-year-old house, fostering three young boys and being taught by your own son is something else entirely.

That’s the experience of Wrexham grandfather Dave Everett, 67, who decided to study Building Surveying at Wrexham University, where his son Simon is a lecturer.

Simon and Dave Everett

After decades working in farming and construction, Dave wanted to formalise his knowledge and gain qualifications to progress his career.

“It's hard work,” said Dave, “But I've never been frightened of hard work. When I was young we lived opposite a farm, and by age 11, I was picking potatoes at the weekends, and by 13, I had 1000 rabbits which I bred for meat. My dad had to stop work, so I became a joiner to help support our family, but I'd always wanted to be a farmer.”

In his 40s, Dave achieved that ambition, moving to Overton to run a farm with his wife Alison, raising livestock and supplying sausages and pies to local catering businesses.

“It was successful, but Covid came along and absolutely destroyed the business,” said Dave. “But that’s life. We moved on.”

               Dave and Alison Everett on their farm

After returning to joinery and handyman work at the local hospital, Dave decided to pursue higher education.

“I had no real qualifications, and I wanted to climb the ladder,” said Dave. “My son Simon said I should do a HNC in Construction, and after that, the Building Surveying Degree.

“I've been in construction on and off for 30 years, so I had lots of knowledge about the physical aspects of building, but the technical side of it is what my eyes have been opened to. And it’s been so good, so interesting!

“Simon is an extraordinarily good teacher. He’s very clever, and very nice and calm. I’m impressed by how well he communicates with his students. I do interject a little bit, but not too much. I try not to embarrass him.

“This course has put the flesh on the bones of the information that I've learned over the years, and the more I’m learning, the more I want to learn.

“It's a varied cohort on the course, a mixture of ages, genders, and lots of people from different backgrounds, but I'm the oldest.

“It was a bit tricky at first getting into the swing of academia, and I had a bit of a wobble early on, but Simon encouraged me to keep going. He was very supportive and told me to ‘just keep pecking at the workload’.”

Away from his studies, Dave and his wife continue their passion for restoring period properties and are currently renovating a five-bedroom home

“My wife and I love doing up Victorian houses, and we've done quite a few,” said Dave.

“Twelve months ago we bought a five-bedroom 120-year-old house that’s been knocked about a bit. I’m currently up a ladder most days working on the roof.

The extra space helps accommodate the three boys the couple are currently fostering, alongside their dogs and visiting grandchildren.

“We’ve been foster parents for 32 years. We do long term placements and have looked after around 30 children. My wonderful wife is always looking for people and things to look after and nurture. The boys like to see what I’m doing around the house. They like to help with bits and pieces. Whatever I'm making, they want to do the same.”

Dave Everett works on his roof

Dave hopes his degree will lead to a career in building surveying.

“I started the degree mainly for fun, but I’d like to work doing building surveying. I love getting into why and how a house was built; how it was constructed, why is that bit failing, why is that bit working correctly? I would love to work for an organisation like the National Trust and help them get to know a bit more about their buildings.

“But if building surveying doesn't work, I'll find something else to go and do. I'm not one for sitting down and doing nothing!”

Simon Everett said: “It's certainly a unique experience teaching my dad. I call him by his first name in class, which felt a bit like Homer and Bart Simpson the first time. He brings a huge amount of practical knowledge and real-world insight to discussions, so there are plenty of occasions where other students, and even I, can learn from his experience.

“I think it's great that he's decided to get these qualifications because it underpins all the practical experience he's built up over decades in the industry. There's so much technology used in construction and surveying, and he's getting the opportunity to use equipment that's state of the art, learning how to use it and why.

“Our degrees are very practical, and a lot of people come to us who have experience in the industry, but who are looking to pivot to a different discipline or move away from more hands-on roles.

For more information about undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in the Built Environment, visit Wrexham University's Built Environment courses.