This resource page is sponsored by "The Small Business Guide to Internet Marketing."
Solid guidance for selling in cyberspace. Now available in electronic form.
http://www.nscee.edu/unlv/Libraries/arch/rsrce/webrsrce/index.html
An excellent directory compiled by Jeanne M. Brown, architectural studies librarian at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Includes listings of gopher collections, WWW sites, electronic journals, discussion lists, newsgroups, indexes, library catalogs, and FTP sites related to architecture and construction.
http://www.clr.toronto.edu:1080/VIRTUALLIB/ARCH/mat.html
Extensive links to construction resources of many kinds.
http://www.fedworld.gov/
FedWorld furnishes links to federal government information servers by category. Here you'll find links to many thousands of government documents and reports.
http://www.eit.com/web/www.servers/government.html
This is a directory/jump point for government agencies. It includes a selection
of federal, state, and city authorities.
http://www.npr.gov
This site explains the government-wide mandate for all branches of the federal
government to re-examine themselves from the ground up and radically change
the way they justify their existence.
http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/
This is the World-Wide Web site for the federal SBA. Includes a gopher server
with free reports. Topics to explore include "Starting Your Business," "Financing
Your Business" and "Expanding Your Business." You can get information about
how to contact the SBA's field offices, local Small Business Development
Centers, and small business institutes at universities.
http://www.osha.gov/
A great deal of information about OSHA, with links to other government resources. It looks to me as if it might soon be possible to access OSHA regulations online. It's possible to read the entire OSHA Act of 1970. It's actually all quite friendly, in harmony with OSHA's recent efforts to become more responsive. It even has a link to the Internet Movie Database.
http://homestyles.com/hs/
This is a company that sells home plans, but they also make useful information available. They include a free article, "How to Choose a Home Design." They include views of some of their plans. They even offer a contest. There are also good links to other sites having to do with home improvement, interior design, real estate, and other subjects.
gopher://atlas.chem.utah.edu:70/11/MSDS
A database of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) from the University of Utah. You can save and print the sheets and, presumably, use them for Hazard Communication compliance.
http://yournewhouse.com
The online site of a TV show. Includes a free newsletter and reports on mortgage and financing.
http://www.w3.org/pub/DataSources/bySubject/Overview.html
The WWW Virtual Library is a classified directory with links to all kinds of Web information.
http://www.yahoo.com
The best top-end reference point I know of (so far) for the World-Wide Web. Very well organized by topic. Topics include Business, Economy, Government, Health, Reference, Regional Information and much more. I was able to use this as a pathway to OSHA's site on the Web. Yahoo's "Business" section leads to many useful directories, including BizWeb, Commercial Services on the Net, NetSearch, The Internet Mall and WWW Business Yellow Pages.
http://www.inforamp.net/~aec
The Internet Expo for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction. A products and services directory, this site offers a building products library, links to manufacturers' Web sites, a construction resource library, construction company listings, and much more.
http://www.build.com
An online resource directory for building and home improvement. Build.com
provides much information and many resources, including links to the Web
sites of manufacturers, builders, and services.
http://www.io.org/~conston/
An intensive effort to develop online resources for construction. Includes software and shareware downloads, home pages for members, and many links to other construction sites. Some links I found there: Habitat for Humanity, World Bank, and Ontario New Home Warranty home page.
http://www.ipr.com
Designed as a comprehensive directory of services for the construction industry, this is a good site for locating products, services, publications, associations, and government resources. You'll find product information, technical data, specifications, and manufacturer contact information.
http://www.thomasregister.com
If you've ever seen the huge green 29-volume Thomas Register at your public library, you'll realize that the online version is a tremendous resource for locating manufacturers and suppliers of all kinds of products. A homeowner on an electronic forum I belong to was looking for a rare out-of-date brick. I was able to use this site to quickly locate a supplier in his region.
http://access.digex.com/~mds/woodwork.html
Articles and reports on woodworking, with links to other woodworking sites. When I visited, the owner was temporarily offering a free woodworking software program. Maybe you can still get yours!
Lots of interesting discussions going on here. Sample topics I saw on the board: low VOC paint, sewage versus composting toilets, and "designing to discourage non-human habitation."
ClariNet's construction newsgroup. This is a "read-only" group. You can't
post messages. It's all press releases. Examples of press releases I found
when I visited: report of a New Mexico highway being protested because its
construction would destroy Indian petroglyphs; monthly construction spending
figures; a dam in China being protested because it would displace a million
people.
Seems to be set up for homeowners, but I'll bet this would be a good place
for builders and remodelers to hang out.
By creating and maintaining this list, I'm hoping to make the online environment more accessible and useful for people in the construction industry, especially builders, contractors, and tradespeople. Architects, engineers, and vendors should find valuable information here as well.
In the beginning, the list will probably be slanted toward the US and Canada, but it's fine to expand it to offshore resources, if users have a need.
Right now, this list is in its infancy, but it can grow with your help. If you are in the construction, architecture, or engineering fields, please let me know about online resources you've found. If you are a vendor, you can serve the construction industry by making useful information available in the online tradition. This will promote your business as well.
I'm a freelance writer specializing in technical topics, including construction. I do commercial copywriting for direct marketing, Internet marketing, ads, and brochures, including marketing materials for construction products and publications. I have also worked in the field as a contractor.
Al Bredenberg
I'm happy to add resources to this listing. I'm especially interested in setting up mutual links with other services. Please send all information to me by e-mail. Some guidelines for resources on this list:
If you have a resource that doesn't seem to meet these requirements but that should be listed anyway, just let me know. Send an e-mail message to me and we'll discuss it. The main point is to make this list a true resource to construction people.
If you are aware that a resource has changed, acquired a new online address or been discontinued, please inform me -- especially if the resource belongs to you.
DISCLAIMER: Although I'll take steps to keep this listing up-to-date and accurate, I can't take responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this list, of the honesty of any of the organizations, companies or individuals offering resources, or of any negative consequences of using resources on this list.
Al Bredenberg is a freelance writer and copywriter, specializing in business-to-business advertising, direct marketing, Internet marketing, the construction industry and building materials.
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