Durability by Design  HUD's downloadable guidebook covers basic concepts of durability and presents recommended practices - including numerous construction details and design data - for matters such as moisture management, ultraviolet protection, insects, decay, corrosion, and natural hazards.

Building Guides from Extreme How-to Magazine  If you're thinking of building all, or even just a small part of a new home, cabin, barn, garage or shed, you should take advantage of these valuable lessons.

How to Plan and Build Your New Home - Free Online Guides from Rona, Inc.  Dreaming of owning a house? Here is a complete guide on how to build the home that will live up to your ambitions.  Determine your needs without forgetting local by-laws, and you'll be on your way to putting down the foundations for that all-important project.
 

Carpentry & Building Field Manual  This downloadable text book is a basic training guide for US Army engineers who are responsible for the planning and construction of all types of buildings. It describes techniques and procedures for reading construction drawings, the preparation and use of a bill of materials, building layout, forming for concrete slabs and foundations, frame construction, finish carpentry, roof framing and much more. It's illustrated by hundreds of clear drawings and details.

Free Building Guides  ToolBase.org offers building product reviews, design and construction guides, best practices, performance reports, case studies, and other resources in way that builders will find useful. Their free reports are available online or by download.

Garage and Workshop DIY Building Guide from Rona of Canada  Download a free twenty-page set of plans for one car garages in fifteen different sizes, from 12'x22' to 20'x26'. The drawings include foundation plans, floor plans, elevations, building and wall sections, isometric views and material lists. They are accompanied by step-by-step building instructions and guides on tools, techniques and specialized how-to information like garage door installation techniques.

Black and Decker's Free Backyard Project Building Guide  Black and Decker offers plenty of reasons for you to use their great tools in your backyard. Their "Project Basics" series of illustrated online building lessons form a step-by-step guide to building a small barn, shed or any backyard building.

Garage and Work Shop Building Guides from DoItYourself.com  Take advantage of these free, online guides to each stage of garage building, how-to advice, and building tricks and hints. With a wealth of how-to content, expertly moderated community forums, detailed project information and a vast amount of home improvement features, DoitYourself.com brings out the handyperson in everyone via a searchable database.

Monolithic Floating Slab Foundation  Floating slab foundations can save building cost and time when used on garages, sheds and small barns. Properly designed monolithic floating slab foundations are approved for use on garages and accessory buildings by many municipalities, north and south, across the U.S. 

Simple Barn-Style Roof Overhangs  It’s always best if a building’s roof extends out past the line of its walls.  An overhang of even just a few inches will push the flow of rain runoff away from walls, doors and windows, and make them all more durable.  Here's how to build  simple roof overhangs that look good and work well on sheds, barns and garages. 

General Building Specifications - Owner/Builder Agreement  If you're using a contractor to help build, this simple one-page document can save you both hundreds or even thousands of dollars in misunderstandings. Review it with your builder, note any changes, sign it and staple it to any set of construction drawings that you're using.

How to Build a Simple Staircase  Stairs have to be designed and built carefully to be safe and durable. Learn how with this informative stair building guide by Doug Adams of Extreme How-To Magazine..