About
Construction, code and a few side projects
I’m James Hillman. I work as a construction estimator in the UK and build websites, apps and software alongside my day job.
This site is my place to keep track of it all. I’m interested in taking a product through the whole process: the interface, the data behind it, the integrations and the work needed for release. I also experiment with AI agents and write about where they fit into development.
What I’m working on
Construction estimating is my day job; software development runs alongside it. The projects below involve different kinds of engineering, from organisation permissions and subscription billing to native interfaces, receipt recognition and colour matching.
- Certinance — A live subscription service for businesses to organise certificates, track expiry dates and send reminders.
- Mixwell — A native iPhone and iPad app for watercolour palettes, reference photos and approximate mixing recipes.
- QuikTax — A launched iPhone app for UK sole traders to track income, expenses and estimated tax. Available on the App Store →
- AI and automation experiments — Including setting up my own agent, Marv, and exploring where it can help.
The case studies explain the architecture and implementation. The blog is where I document the development work around them: prototypes, setup tasks, experiments and release updates. A short note about a first pull request doesn’t need the same treatment as a breakdown of a billing or storage system.
If that interests you, read the build notes or follow me on X. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
Say hello
I’m open to product collaborations, independent software development, consultancy and selected web design projects. If you have something in mind, email me at jshcodeworks@gmail.com.