There are several types of roof trusses, all of which solve different design and space problems, provide different load bearing capacities, and use different dimensions of lumber. Your local lumber suppliers are usually affiliated with a local truss supplier, or you may contact them directly. Here is a chart illustrating commonly used truss patterns.
The RS Means company publishes very extensive tables and software for determining the costs of construction for every imaginable structure.
http://www.rsmeans.com/index.asp
If you don’t want to buy all those books and learn how to read them, or you just don’t have that kind of expertise, you might want to try out one of these Estimation Calculators. If you have a pretty good handle on home construction, and you know exactly what your house plan is going to be, and you answer the questions very carefully, these calculators will give you a very close estimate of the cost for building your home. The final price will be based upon the assumption that you are hiring a general contractor to manage the entire project for you. If you do a lot of the work yourself, you will probably save some money, but only if you really know what you are doing. Here are two pretty good cost estimation calculators.
This new insulation material is used to replace fiberglass batt insulation in walls. It is more fireproof, has a higher insulation value of R-3 per inch, lasts just as long, probably longer, and it completely and rapidly biodegrades when you’re done with it. It is made of mushrooms.