Why this site exists, who built it, and how it stays free.
Built by UK tradespeople for UK tradespeople. No VC money, no paywall, no data harvesting. Paid for by the firms that want to reach the people who actually swing the hammer.
Most construction legal and tax content is written by people who've never been on a site. It's either aimed at lawyers, aimed at clients, or written by firms trying to sell you training. SiteKiln is the site a sparky, chippy, or groundworker can open at 10pm when something's gone wrong — and get a real answer.
Built by Scott Jones, Founder, Kiln Guides Ltd (previously trading as FTJ Designs). Company registration in progress.
The story
SiteKiln exists because we went through a situation every tradesperson dreads — and when we needed clear answers about our rights, they didn't exist. Not in plain English. Not in one place. Not for us.
So we went looking. And what we found was a mess.
Government websites that assume you already know what "adjudication" means. Legal blogs written for other solicitors. ACAS pages that answer a slightly different question to the one you're asking. Forums full of people guessing. And nothing — absolutely nothing — that just says, in plain English: here's what the law says, here's what you do, and here's who to call.
The information existed. It was just buried in places working people never look, written in language they were never meant to understand.
That felt deliberate. And that made us angry.
So we started writing. One guide became ten. Ten became fifty. Then someone said "what about Scotland?" and "what about if the customer dies mid-job?" and "what happens if HSE turn up?" — and now there are over 496 of them.
Then came the templates, because knowing your rights is no good if you can't write the letter. Then the calculators, because nobody should need a law degree to work out how much statutory interest they're owed. Then the reference cards, because some things need to be on the cabin wall, not buried in a website.
SiteKiln is the resource we wished existed when we were sat at the kitchen table at midnight, trying to work out if a customer could actually do what they were threatening to do.
Think of it as the conversation you'd have with a mate who's already been through it — and can explain it without the jargon.
What SiteKiln includes
496 Free Guides
Payment, contracts, safety, tax, insurance, disputes, apprenticeships, pricing, building regulations, tool theft, cyber security, planning permission, and more. Covering England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
229 Templates & Checklists
Ready-to-use letters, notices, agreements, checklists and spreadsheets. From invoice templates to HSE visit records to employment contracts.
42 Free Tools
Calculators and checkers: Late Payment Calculator, Employment Status Checker, NMW Pay Checker, Planning Permission Checker, CSCS Card Finder, and more. All free, all frontend, no data collected.
28 Reference Cards
One-page printable quick-reference cards. Emergency numbers, wiring colours, concrete mix ratios, payment deadlines, NMW rates, RIDDOR reporting. Print them, laminate them, keep them in your van.
Trade First-Year Guides
Electrician, plumber, carpenter, bricklayer, plasterer, painter, landscaper, roofer, tiler, kitchen fitter, general builder, scaffolder, groundworker, gas engineer, window fitter, flooring specialist.
Full UK Coverage
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jurisdiction-specific guides where the rules differ.
Built with people who know
SiteKiln was built with input from people across the industry:
Frankie Williams
Stolen Tools UK / The Window Restorer
Frankie lost £4,000 of tools in 2022 and built Stolen Tools UK to fight back. He helped write our tool theft section and his story is on the landing page. Frankie also runs The Window Restorer — bringing windows back to life.
Gavin Tutton
Gavin Tutton Carpentry & Fitted Kitchens
Experienced kitchen and bathroom fitter. Co-authored the kitchen and bathroom fitter first-year guide.
Scott Bubb
Bros Carpentry & Building
Co-authored the carpenter first-year guide. Award-winning carpentry and building in Gloucestershire. Straight-talking and practical, which is exactly what the guide needed.
Russ
The Talking Tradesman
The voice behind our mental health page. Construction has the highest suicide rate of any industry in the UK. Russ is doing something about that.
Sergeant Dave Catlow
Met Police Tool Theft Lead
Contributed to our tool theft guides with practical crime prevention advice from the frontline of tool theft policing.
Shane
The Plumb / Helix Plumbing & Heating
Co-authored the plumber first-year guide. Shane runs Helix Plumbing & Heating in Southend — 24/7 emergency, Gas Safe registered.
Joe
JKE Electrical
Co-authored the electrician first-year guide with practical advice from the tools.
Andreas
Woodway Windows
Co-authored the window fitter first-year guide with practical advice from the tools.
Gary Quinn
Quality Brushstrokes
Co-authored the painter and decorator first-year guide with practical advice from the tools.
Why you can trust what's on this site
Every guide and tool cites the law, regulation or HMRC rule it's based on. Every update is dated. Fact-checks come from GOV.UK, HSE, HMRC, legislation.gov.uk and the relevant Acts. When we don't know, we say so and link to the official source.
This is not legal advice. We're not solicitors. We're not accountants.
Nothing on this site should replace proper professional advice for your specific situation. What SiteKiln does is help you understand where you stand, what the law actually says in words you can understand, and exactly who to call next.
How we keep the lights on
Every guide is free. Every tool is free. Every reference card is free. No paywall. No login for guides. No "enter your email to keep reading."
That will never change.
SiteKiln is funded by sponsorship from brands that genuinely serve the construction industry — insurance brokers, training providers, tool suppliers, accountancy firms.
One sponsor per content category. Clearly labelled. No editorial control — ever. We write what's true, not what a sponsor wants to hear.
What we don't do:
- ✕ No data brokers
- ✕ No ad networks
- ✕ No tracking pixels following you around the internet
- ✕ No selling your information to anyone
- ✕ No programmatic ads
- ✕ No pay-to-play listings
The information is free because the people who need it most are usually the ones who can least afford to pay for it. The sponsorship model means it stays that way.
Founding sponsors welcome
We're looking for a small number of founding sponsors — construction brands that want to be associated with quality information, not clickbait.
Category-exclusive. Clearly labelled. No editorial control.
If your brand serves the people who build the UK, we'd like to hear from you.
See sponsorship optionsGet in touch
SiteKiln is published by Kiln Guides Ltd (registration in progress — Companies House number to follow once incorporated).
Data controller: FTJ Designs · ICO registration: ZC127003. See our Privacy policy for details.
Email: hello@kilnguides.co.uk
Site: sitekiln.co.uk
SiteKiln does not provide legal, financial or tax advice. All content is for general information purposes only. Always seek professional advice for your specific situation.