Site Toolkit — complete user guide

Getting started

Site Toolkit is a collection of six tools designed for daily construction site work. Every tool works offline and stores its data locally on your device. There is no account to create and nothing to sign in to — just install the app and start using it.

Installation

Site Toolkit is available on:

• Google Play — search for "Site Toolkit" or go to the listing. Package: au.markballard.sitetoolkit.
• Apple App Store — coming soon.

The app runs on both phones and tablets, in portrait and landscape orientations.

The home screen

When you open Site Toolkit you see the home screen. It shows a grid of cards — one for each tool — plus a bottom navigation bar with Settings and Help buttons.

RL Calc (teal)

Reduced Level Calculator with base point setup.

Slope Calc (orange)

Convert between slope ratio, percentage and degrees.

Triangle Calc (blue)

Solve right triangles from any two values.

Level Tool (green)

Digital spirit level using the device's accelerometer.

Concrete Vol (brown)

Calculate concrete volumes with wastage and pump washout.

Photo Tool (purple)

Progress photos, issue tracking, PDF site reports.

The home screen automatically rearranges to a compact 6-column layout in landscape so every tool stays one tap away.

Permissions the app asks for

Site Toolkit asks for the minimum permissions needed:

• Camera — only used by the Photo Tool to capture photos. The app never opens the camera unless you tap a capture button.
• Photos / Storage — only used when you tap "Save to Album" to copy a photo into your device's gallery, or when you generate and share a PDF report.

The app does not ask for or use location/GPS, microphone, contacts or any background permissions. There is no internet requirement at all — the app does not need to phone home.

In-app tutorials & help

Tap the Help button at the bottom of the home screen to open the help menu. You'll find three options:

• Interactive Wizard — a guided tour that highlights each tool with a short description. Available on the home screen and inside each tool.
• Documentation — a built-in help screen with expandable sections for every tool.
• About — the current app version, build number and developer details.

Tip: The wizard is dismissible at any time — tap outside the highlight to exit, or step through with the Previous and Next buttons.

Settings

Open Settings from the bottom-of-home-screen button. Settings are grouped into sections and saved automatically. They persist across app restarts.

General

Units

Toggle between Metric and Imperial. This affects every distance input and output in Slope, Triangle and Concrete calculators. Metric uses metres (m); Imperial uses feet (ft). Default: Metric.

Level Tool

Level Tolerance

Slider from 0.1° to 2.0°, in 0.1° steps. Sets how close to level a surface must be before the app considers it "level". Default: 0.5°. Looser tolerance (e.g. 1.0°) makes the indicator turn green more easily; tighter tolerance (0.2°) is fussier.

Visual feedback

When on, the entire screen turns green the instant the device reads level. Useful when looking from a distance. Default: On.

Haptic feedback

When on, the phone vibrates once when level is achieved. Fires only on transition to level, not continuously. Default: On.

Concrete Calculator

Volume Unit

Choose m³, yd³ or ft³. Applies to every result on the Concrete Calculator screen. Conversion is automatic: 1 m³ = 1.308 yd³ = 35.315 ft³. Default: m³.

Concrete Pump Washout

Slider from 0.1 to 2.0 m³ in 0.1 m³ steps. This value is added to the total when the "Concrete Pump" checkbox is enabled in the calculator. Default: 0.5 m³. Adjust to match what your pump operator actually requires.

Photo Tool

Manage Issue Categories

Add, remove and reorder the list of categories that appear on the Issue photo entry screen. See Manage Categories below.

RL Calculator

The Reduced Level (RL) Calculator helps you calculate elevations relative to a known datum using the Height of Instrument (HI) method — the standard technique used with a dumpy or builder's level.

What is an RL?

A Reduced Level is the height of any point relative to a chosen reference (the "datum"). On a site you typically establish one benchmark — for example, finished floor level = 100.000 m — then read every other point on the site against that benchmark using a staff and level.

The formula the app uses is:

• Height of Instrument (HI) = Base RL + (Initial Staff Reading ÷ 1000)
• New RL = HI − (New Staff Reading ÷ 1000)

Staff readings are entered in millimetres; RLs in metres.

Setting up a base point

The first time you open the RL Calculator you're taken to the Setup New Base Point screen.

Base Point RL (m)

The known elevation of your benchmark, in metres. Decimal allowed (e.g. 100.000).

Initial Staff Reading (mm)

The staff reading you took at the benchmark, in whole millimetres. No decimals — staff readings are read to the nearest mm.

Tap Set Base & Start Calculating. The app will calculate and store the HI behind the scenes.

Calculating RLs and staff readings

On the main RL Calculator screen you'll see a teal info box showing the current Base RL and Initial Staff. Below it are three fields:

Point Name

A descriptive label, e.g. "Kitchen Corner", "FFL Front Door", "TOC Wall 3". Required to save.

Reduced Level (m)

Either type a target RL, or let the app fill it in after you enter a staff reading.

Staff Reading (mm)

Either type the reading you just took, or let the app fill it in after you enter a target RL.

The two fields are bidirectionally linked: change one and the other recalculates automatically. RL is shown to 3 decimal places; staff to the nearest mm.

Saving points

Once Name, RL and Staff are filled in, tap Save Point. The point is added to your saved points log. A green snackbar confirms the save. Clear Fields clears the inputs without saving.

The Saved Points log

Tap the list icon in the top-right of the RL Calculator to open Saved Points. Each entry shows a numbered badge (newest is #1), the point name, the RL value and the staff reading.

At the top of the list is a filter field — type any part of a name, an RL value or a staff reading to narrow the list. Tap the trash icon on a row to delete a single point; tap the sweep icon in the top bar to clear the entire log. Both deletions ask for confirmation.

Changing the base RL

If your instrument moves — for example you carry it to a different setup — tap the refresh icon in the top bar to set a new base. The app warns you that existing saved points will have their staff readings recalculated against the new HI while keeping the same RL values. This means your saved list stays meaningful even when you change setups.

Tip: If you only need to convert a one-off staff reading without saving, just type the staff value and read the RL — no need to fill in a name. The Save button only activates once a name is provided.

Slope Calculator

The Slope Calculator converts between three common slope formats and works out run/rise distances for a given gradient.

The Slope tab — format conversions

Three fields, all linked:

Ratio (1 : X)

Type the X value. For example, 20 means "1 in 20".

Percentage (%)

The slope as a percentage. 1:20 = 5%.

Degrees (°)

The slope as an angle. 1:20 ≈ 2.86°.

Enter any one — the other two recalculate ~600 ms after you stop typing (or immediately if you tap return). A live visual angle gauge below the fields shows the current slope drawn from horizontal. The gauge collapses automatically when the keyboard is open.

Allowed range: ratio > 0, percentage > 0, degrees 0–90.

The Distance tab — run and rise

Two fields, with unit suffix (m or ft based on your global Units setting):

Run (horizontal)

The horizontal distance.

Rise (vertical)

The vertical distance.

How it behaves depends on whether a slope is set:

• If a slope is already entered on the Slope tab, type either Run or Rise and the other is calculated. An info box at the top shows the current slope (e.g. "Current slope: 1:20 (2.86°)").
• If no slope is set, type both Run and Rise — the app calculates the slope and back-populates the Slope tab.

Tap Clear All to reset the slope fields, or the Distance fields, depending on which tab you're on.

Triangle Calculator

Solves right-angled triangles. Useful for setting out square corners, working out diagonal bracing, or any geometry with a 90° angle.

The Sides tab

Three fields, all with unit suffix (m or ft):

Base

The horizontal side.

Height

The vertical side.

Hypotenuse

The diagonal side.

Enter any two and the third calculates from Pythagoras. All three angles also update on the visual display. Results show 3 decimal places.

The Angles tab

Base Angle (°)

The angle between the Base and the Hypotenuse, 0–90°.

Top Angle (°)

The angle between the Height and the Hypotenuse. Automatically = 90 − Base Angle.

The right angle (90°) is fixed and shown in the corner of the visual. Change either angle and the other auto-adjusts. Enter one angle plus any one side and the calculator solves the rest using trigonometry.

The visual display

Below the tabs, a labelled right triangle is drawn live with current values shown on each side and angle. It scales to fit the screen, with the right angle marked. The visual collapses when the keyboard is open to keep fields visible.

Tap Clear All to wipe both tabs and the visual.

Level Tool

A digital spirit level driven by the accelerometer in your phone. The Level Tool automatically switches between two modes based on how you're holding the device.

Surface mode (Level) vs Edge mode (Plumb)

The mode label at the top of the screen tells you which mode you're in. The app picks the right one based on the device's orientation in space:

Level mode

Activated when you lay the phone face up on a horizontal surface. You'll see a circular bubble level with concentric rings. Tilt readings appear in both X and Y axes. Use this for checking slabs, formwork, benches, anything flat.

Plumb mode

Activated when you stand the phone on edge against a vertical surface. You'll see a vertical tube bubble showing left-right tilt only — the app ignores tilt along the other axis since you're checking a vertical face. Use this for posts, studs, formwork sides, door jambs.

Reading the display

The bubble shows you the current tilt. The angle values appear in degrees. The status text and indicator change colour:

• Green — within tolerance. The surface is level/plumb.
• Yellow — close to tolerance. Nearly there.
• Grey — out of tolerance.

"LEVEL" displays when both axes (Level mode) or the active axis (Plumb mode) are within tolerance.

Visual and haptic feedback

You can enable extra feedback in Settings:

• Visual feedback — the whole screen turns green the moment level is achieved. Good for glancing at the phone from across a frame.
• Haptic feedback — the phone gives a single soft buzz on the transition to level. It doesn't keep buzzing while level — just a one-shot confirmation.

Locking a reading

Tap the lock icon in the top-right (or tap the screen) to freeze the current reading. The display switches to "LOCKED" and stops updating live. Tap again to unlock. This is useful when you need to read the value out loud, take a photo of it, or compare it to another point without the bubble drifting as you move.

Calibration

Phone accelerometers have small manufacturing offsets, so the app provides a calibration step.

1. Place the device on a surface you know is level (a builder's level, a recently checked bench, a known good benchtop).
2. Open the three-dot menu and tap Calibrate.
3. Confirm the dialog. The app stores the current offset and applies it to all future readings.

You only need to calibrate occasionally. If the bubble seems to drift to one side when you know the surface is level, recalibrate.

Important: The Level Tool is a useful site aid but it relies on your phone's sensor. For critical setting-out (structural plumb, finished surveying), always cross-check with a calibrated spirit level or laser. Treat the digital level as a quick check, not a substitute for proper instruments on critical work.

Concrete Volume Calculator

Calculates concrete volumes for five common shapes, with wastage allowance and optional pump washout. Saves and shares calculations.

Across the top are five tabs — one per shape. The current Volume Unit (m³, yd³ or ft³, set in Settings) applies to all results.

Slab

Length, Width, Depth (m or ft)

All three dimensions of the slab.

Volume = Length × Width × Depth.

Column

Toggle between Rectangular and Circular.

Rectangular

Length, Width, Height — Volume = L × W × H.

Circular

Diameter, Height — Volume = π × (Diameter ÷ 2)² × Height.

Footing

Length, Width, Depth

Volume = L × W × D.

Beam

Length, Width, Height

Volume = L × W × H.

Stairs (simplified)

Number of Steps

Whole number, no decimals.

Tread Depth

Horizontal depth of each step.

Riser Height

Vertical height of each step.

Width

Across-the-stair width.

Volume = (Width × Tread × Riser × Steps × (Steps + 1)) ÷ 2. This is a simplified triangular-stack approximation — adequate for ordering, but always cross-check unusual shapes with a quantity surveyor for tendering.

Wastage, pump washout and results

Below the shape inputs are two adjustments that apply to every shape:

Wastage Factor (slider, 0–15%)

Adds a percentage to the base volume to allow for spillage, formwork irregularities and over-pours. Default 5%. Move the slider to see the totals update live.

Concrete Pump (checkbox)

When ticked, the app adds the pump washout volume to the total. The washout value comes from Settings (default 0.5 m³); the subtitle on the checkbox shows the current value.

The Results card shows a breakdown — Base Volume, Wastage, Pump Washout (if applicable), and a bold Total Volume. All values to 3 decimals.

Saving and sharing

Below the result are:

• Calculation Name field — type a name (e.g. "House Foundation"). Required to save; optional for sharing.
• Clear button — resets the current tab's inputs.
• Save button — stores the calculation under the entered name. Green snackbar confirms.
• Share button — opens your device's share sheet with a formatted text breakdown (dimensions, wastage, washout, total). Send it via SMS, email, WhatsApp or any installed app.

The Saved Calculations log

Tap the list icon to open Saved Calculations. Each row shows the name, the shape type and the total. Tap a row to expand it and see the full dimensions and breakdown plus a per-row Share button. The filter at the top searches both names and shape types. Delete a single calculation with its trash icon, or clear the whole list from the top bar (both confirm).

Photo Tool

The Photo Tool is a complete site-documentation system: capture progress photos and track defects/issues, then export it all as PDF reports.

Two types of photo

When you tap a capture button you're asked to choose:

Progress Photo

A timestamped record of how a part of the site looked at a particular time. Captures Area, Notes and optional Save-to-Album.

Issue / Defect Photo

A tracked problem with a workflow — Category, optional Priority, Area and Description. The status moves from Open → In Progress → Fixed as you work through it.

Capturing a photo

1. From the Photo Tool, tap the floating action button (blue = Progress, orange = Issue).
2. The camera screen opens. Tap the shutter to take the shot.
3. The detail screen appears with the photo preview.
4. Fill in the metadata — Area is always required, the rest depend on photo type.
5. Tap Save Photo. Retake returns to the camera, Cancel throws away the shot.

The timestamp is captured automatically at shutter time.

Progress photo metadata

Area / Location

Free text. E.g. "Kitchen", "North wall", "Stair 2 framing". Required.

Notes

Free text. Optional. Anything you want to remember about what's in the shot.

Save to Album

Toggle. When on, a copy of the photo is also saved to your device's photo gallery.

Issue photo metadata

Area / Location

Required. Where the issue is.

Category

Required. Trade or area responsible. Defaults: Plumbing, Electrical, Framing, Drywall, Painting, Flooring, Roofing, HVAC, Concrete, Masonry, Carpentry, Landscaping, Other. Manageable in Settings.

Priority

Optional. Critical (red), High (orange), Medium (blue), Low (green).

Description

Optional. What's wrong and what needs to happen.

Save to Album

Same toggle as Progress photos.

New issues start with status Open.

The issue status workflow

On an issue's detail screen the status appears as a coloured chip. Tap it to change status:

• Open (orange) → can move to In Progress or Fixed.
• In Progress (blue) → can move back to Open, or to Fixed.
• Fixed (green) → when you move to Fixed, the app offers to capture an "After" photo. If you do, the original becomes the "Before" and the new shot becomes the "After". The fixed-at timestamp is recorded.

Before/After comparison

When an issue is Fixed and has both photos, the detail screen shows them side by side, labelled Before and After. Swipe to compare. PDF reports include both shots together so clients can see the before-and-after at a glance.

The three tabs

Progress

All progress photos, newest first. The FAB on this tab is blue.

Issues

All issue photos, newest first. The tab title shows a count of currently open issues — e.g. "Issues (3)". The FAB is orange. Includes a filter button.

All Photos

Both types mixed chronologically. An icon distinguishes type.

Search

Tap the magnifier in the top bar to open search. Type any text to search across Area, Notes, Description and Category. Recent areas and categories appear as quick-tap pills above the field.

Filter (Issues tab)

The funnel icon opens a filter dialog with multi-select checkboxes for:

• Status: Open, In Progress, Fixed
• Category (all categories shown)
• Priority: Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Area (recent areas)

Tap Apply to narrow the Issues list. Open the dialog again and clear selections to reset.

PDF reports

From the three-dot menu choose "Export Issues to PDF" or "Export Progress to PDF". The app generates a PDF and immediately opens the system share sheet so you can email, AirDrop, save to cloud, etc.

Issues report

Cover page includes: report title, generation date, totals (total, open, in progress, fixed), filter info (if filters applied) and a breakdown by category and priority. Issues are then grouped under colour-coded headers — Open (red), In Progress (orange), Fixed (green) — each entry showing the photo, category, priority, area, description, timestamp, and Before/After shots if Fixed. File name: Issues_Report_[timestamp].pdf.

Progress report

When you tap Export Progress to PDF you first pick a date range — All Time, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, This Month, or Custom Range. The PDF cover page shows the chosen range, photo count and areas covered. Photos are grouped by Area by default, newest first, each with timestamp, area and notes. File name: Progress_Report_[timestamp].pdf.

JSON export and statistics

The three-dot menu also offers:

• Statistics — a quick modal showing total photos, progress vs issue counts and the issue-status breakdown.
• Export to JSON — exports all photo metadata as a JSON file via the share sheet. Useful for backup or moving data to another device.
• Show Tutorial — restarts the interactive wizard for the Photo Tool.

Save to Album

Any photo can be copied into your device's gallery via the album icon in the top bar of the photo detail screen (or via the toggle on the capture screen). This is one-way — copies in your gallery are independent of the in-app copy. Deleting from one doesn't delete the other.

Manage Issue Categories

Open Settings → Photo Tool → Manage Issue Categories. You can:

• Add a new category — type the name and tap Add.
• Reorder by dragging the handle on the left of each row.
• Delete with the trash icon (confirms first).
• Reset to Defaults from the top bar (restores the 13 standard categories).

Note: Removing a category from the list doesn't remove it from existing photos that were assigned to it. New photos see the updated list.

Sharing & export — quick reference

There is no cloud sync, no FTP upload and no third-party integration. Everything flows through your device's built-in share sheet, so you stay in control of where data ends up.

Tips & best practices

Battery

The Level Tool polls the accelerometer continuously and will use battery faster than other tools. Close it when you're done. The other tools are static and use negligible battery.

RL workflow

• Save your benchmark as the first point ("FFL Benchmark") immediately after setup so you have a record of where it lives.
• Use descriptive names — "FFL Front", "TOC W2-3 Mid", "Drain Inv North". Future-you will thank you.
• When you move the instrument, use Set New Base RL — don't just type new values into the Setup screen. The recalculation behaviour keeps your saved log valid.

Level Tool

• Calibrate on a known-level surface before any session where accuracy matters.
• For plumb checks on a stud or post, hold the phone flat against the face — don't try to balance it on the corner.
• Use Lock to capture a reading when the phone is in an awkward position you can't read directly.

Concrete orders

• Always round up the total volume when placing an order. The wastage slider helps, but for awkward pours add an extra 0.1–0.2 m³ on top.
• Save calculations by their pour name (e.g. "Stage 2 footings"). When the order arrives, you have a record of what you actually planned.
• The stairs formula is a simplified approximation — for unusual stair geometry, hand-check with a QS.

Photo Tool

• Use the same Area names consistently — "Kitchen" everywhere, not "kitchen" or "Kitch". Search and Group-by-Area both rely on consistency.
• For variations of a defect, take the photo with one issue per shot — it makes the PDF report read clearly.
• When marking Fixed, take the "After" photo from the same angle as the original. Comparison is much more useful.
• Export Issues PDFs at the end of each visit and email them straight to the relevant trade.
• For monthly client updates, run a Progress PDF over Last 30 Days grouped by area.

Backups

• All your data lives on your phone. If you replace your device, that data does not automatically transfer.
• For photos: use Save to Album so they're picked up by your normal phone backup (iCloud Photos, Google Photos, etc.).
• For photo metadata: periodically Export to JSON and email it to yourself or upload to your cloud drive.
• For RL points and concrete calculations: take a screenshot of the Saved list, or use the Share button to push the data into a note/email.

Troubleshooting

The Level Tool's reading seems wrong

Calibrate it on a known-level surface (Settings menu → Calibrate). Sensor offsets vary between devices, and a freshly calibrated device should give better than 0.5° accuracy.

The screen won't turn green at level

Check Settings → Level Tool → Visual feedback is on, and that Tolerance isn't set too tight. If you have it at 0.1° you may be physically unable to hold the phone steady enough.

The PDF report is huge / slow to generate

Issue/Progress reports embed every photo at high quality. A report with 100+ photos can run several megabytes. If you only need a subset, use the filter (Issues) or date range (Progress) to narrow the export.

I lost my Saved Points / Calculations

All saved data lives on the device. If you uninstalled and reinstalled, or wiped the app's data, the saved lists are gone. There's no cloud restore. Use the periodic-backup tips above to avoid this.

"Save to Album" isn't working

Check your device's app permissions. On iOS, Settings → Site Toolkit → Photos must allow "Add Photos Only". On Android, the relevant Photos / Storage permission must be granted.

The Slope or Triangle calculator isn't updating

Updates are debounced by ~600 ms after typing stops, or fire immediately when you tap the return key. If a field still shows nothing, check that all required inputs are non-zero and positive.

I see numbers in the wrong units

Open Settings → General → Units to toggle Metric/Imperial globally. For concrete volumes specifically, change Volume Unit in the Concrete Calculator section of Settings.

FAQ