The Timeless Way of Building, by Christopher Alexander.
Oxford University Press, New York; © 1979.
About the "big picture"...an excellent dissertation on how our environs affect us and how we live, and what we can do about it.

How To Build A House With An Architect, by John Milnes Baker.
Harper & Row Publishers; © 1977, 1988.
A real easy to understand approach to the building process that outlines the various of a project. It's out of print, so try to find it in used book stores or the library.

House, by Tracy Kidder.
Avon Books, New York; © 1985.
A very true story about the building process, told in a novel-like style. Easy to read.

The Most Beautiful House in the World, by Witold Rybczynski.
Penguin Books, New York; © 1989.
A nice walk through of how the author's house developed with some side trips into architectural history.

Fine Homebuilding (periodical)
Taunton Press, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470
A good reference tool for all sorts of construction questions.

Small Kitchens, by Robin Murrel.
Simon and Schuster, New York; © 1986
This planning guide is dedicated to "Making every inch count."

How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand.
Penguin Books, New York; © 1994.
An excellent treatise on what happens to buildings after they're built.