Every guide, every question, one plain-English page each.
496 guides covering pay, tax, rights, regs, safety, paperwork and running a trade business in the UK. Written for site, not the bar.
Every guide answers one practical question a UK tradesperson, apprentice or small-firm owner is actually asking. They cite the law, they tell you what to do next, and they don't waste your time with preamble.
Not sure where to start?
I'm new to construction
Starting out, first day on site, cards, tax, insurance — the stuff nobody tells you.
I've got a problem right now
Not been paid? Customer dispute? HSE turned up? Find the guide for your situation.
I'm running my own business
Pricing, quotes, insurance, going commercial, employing people, business continuity.
Featured
Starting Out
First day on site, CSCS cards, CIS registration, tax, insurance, your first quote, contracts, and everything else nobody explains when you're starting out.
29 guides
Payment & Money
Not been paid? Retention held? Valuation too low? Guides on the Construction Act, adjudication, late payment interest, and how to force payment when someone won't cough up.
19 guides
Contracts & Disputes
JCT vs NEC, variations, final accounts, letters of intent, collateral warranties, time at large, and what to do when things get legal.
29 guides
Employment & Status
Bogus self-employment, IR35, holiday pay, agency rights, TUPE transfers, zero-hours, sick pay, discrimination, whistleblowing, deductions from wages, travel time, and working on Sundays.
26 guides
Site Safety & HSE
CDM, RAMS, working at height, scaffolding, excavations, asbestos, confined spaces, electricity, fire safety, dust, noise, first aid, welfare, HSE inspections, bad weather, working near buried services, and what to do when it goes wrong.
35 guides
HMRC & Tax
Self-assessment, CIS registration, VAT, reverse charge, expenses, MTD, NI gaps, penalties, HMRC investigations, and how to stop giving HMRC money you don't owe them.
15 guides
Insurance & Protection
Public liability, employers' liability, professional indemnity, tools insurance, what your insurance doesn't cover, EV insurance, and the exclusions nobody reads until it's too late.
14 guides
Licensing, Cards & Compliance
CSCS, Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, Part P, asbestos licences, waste carriers, planning permission, and every other card, ticket and registration you might need.
17 guides
Running Your Business
Sole trader vs limited, writing quotes, terms and conditions, pricing, taking on staff, GDPR, scaling up, going commercial, bankruptcy, CCJs, business continuity, and employing family.
38 guides
Domestic Client Disputes
Customer won't pay? Claims your work is defective? Changed their mind? Threatening court? Demanding a refund? Won't let you back to fix it? Customer died mid-job? Surviving domestic work, guide by guide.
19 guides
Training & Career Progression
Apprenticeships, NVQs, overseas qualifications, CITB grants, management routes, site management, estimating, teaching your trade, and the PAS 2035 retrofit pathway.
13 guides
Environmental & Waste
Waste carriers, fly-tipping, hazardous waste, environmental permits, protected species, noise complaints, contaminated land, ULEZ and clean air zones, EV vans, and Japanese knotweed.
13 guides
Tool Theft & Security
30,800 tool thefts last year. Van security, tool marking, what to do step by step, using Stolen Tools UK, and writing a tool security policy. Built with Stolen Tools UK and the Metropolitan Police.
10 guides
Getting Work & Marketing
Word of mouth, social media, Google reviews, online directories, before-and-after photos, leaflets, networking, approved contractor lists, working with architects, and when to say no.
10 guides
Building Regulations
All 18 Approved Documents explained in plain English — Part A through to Regulation 7. Plus CDM on domestic jobs, Party Wall Act, asbestos on refurbs, fire safety, and the Future Homes Standard.
36 guides
Pricing Your Work
Day rates, job prices, materials margins, when to walk away from a price, and trade-specific pricing — plumbing, electrical, bricklaying, plastering, carpentry, painting, roofing, tiling, landscaping, kitchen fitting, general building, and heating/gas.
22 guides
After Your Apprenticeship
You've got the qualification — now what? Going self-employed, your first quote, finding customers, building a reputation, specialising vs staying general, and the stuff nobody teaches you after the NVQ.
20 guides
Cross-Border Working
What changes when you take a job across the England-Wales, England-Scotland or GB-NI border. Building regs, planning, environmental rules, tax and competent person schemes — country by country.
3 guides
Country-Specific Pricing
Day rates, minimum wages, framework pricing and public-sector rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. What you should charge and why it differs from England.
4 guides
Country-Specific Schemes & Bodies
The schemes, trade bodies, training routes and support programmes that only exist in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Nest, Rent Smart Wales, SELECT, SNIPEF, CITB NI, CEF and more.
9 guides
Women in Construction
Site facilities, PPE that fits, discrimination law, maternity rights, returning after a break and networks that actually help. Written for women on the tools, not about them.
6 guides
Mental Health
Recognising the signs, having the conversation, financial stress, substance abuse, returning to work and the employer duty of care. Construction loses more people to suicide than to falls — this section is here to change that.
5 guides
Long-Term Health
The damage that builds up over years — HAVS, hearing loss, silicosis, occupational cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. What the law says, how to claim and how to protect yourself.
6 guides
Ex-Forces into Construction
The pathway from military service to construction — BuildForce, CTP, ELCAS, qualification mapping, CSCS cards and support organisations. Your discipline is an asset; this shows you how to use it.
3 guides
Seasonal Guides
Winter rights, summer heat, Christmas shutdown, tax-year changes, Budget summaries and the January checklist. The stuff that matters at specific times of year.
6 guides
Trade-Specific First-Year Guides
18 trade-specific guides for your first year self-employed. The stuff college doesn't teach you — finding work, pricing jobs, choosing insurance, and surviving the first 12 months.
Working Across the UK
The law isn't the same everywhere. If you work in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, these guides explain where the rules differ from England.
Working in Wales
Building regs, planning, environmental rules, housing law and energy — where Wales does things differently.
13 guides
Working in Scotland
Building Standards Act, Sections 1-7, completion certificates, income tax, Simple Procedure, planning and SEPA — the Scottish system explained.
15 guides
Working in Northern Ireland
HSENI, Technical Booklets A-V, planning, small claims, NIEA, and everything else that differs from England & Wales.
25 guides
Popular Guides
Most-read guides on SiteKiln — start here if you're not sure where to begin.
Pay-when-paid is illegal
Your legal right to refuse unsafe work
How to price your first job
Bogus self-employment — are you really self-employed?
What your insurance does NOT cover
Customer dies mid-job
Can't find what you're looking for?
Search 496 guides, or email us at hello@kilnguides.co.uk and tell us what's missing. Every "what about...?" makes the site better.