Stop starting every detail from scratch.
Maybe you’ve been here before…
- Sat with a junction on screen, fairly sure you’ve got it right, not quite certain you haven’t missed something.
- Reworking a detail you know you’ve drawn a dozen times, because the old version’s buried in a project from two years ago.
- Wondering if there’s a better way to work, without quite having the time to find it.
- Doing the work properly, but feeling like you’re making it up as you go more often than you’d admit.
None of that means you’re behind. It usually just means you don’t have a dependable place to start from yet.
A growing library of over 700 construction details, with over 435,000+ downloads
Used by more than 7,500 architects, technologists and designers since launch.
As Featured On
How It Works
- Find the detail you need. Search by construction type or junction instead of trawling old projects or generic web results.
- Adapt it to your project. Every detail is a starting point built to UK standards, ready to edit in the format you already work in.
- Issue with confidence. Move on to the project-specific decisions that actually need your judgement, knowing the foundation underneath is solid.
Who This Is For
This is for you if:
- You’re working on UK residential projects and want technical details you don’t have to build from nothing every time.
- You’re tired of hunting through old projects, notes and manufacturer sites to answer one question.
- You want your drawing packages to feel consistent and coordinated, not patchy.
- You’re capable and experienced, but want a dependable reference for the details that don’t come up often enough to remember cold.
- You’d rather spend your time on the decisions that actually need you.
Good technical work doesn’t come from knowing everything. It comes from knowing where to start.
What Becomes Possible
- Turn a technical query into a resolved detail in minutes, not an afternoon of searching.
- Walk into a drawing review able to explain your junctions clearly, instead of hoping no one asks the wrong question.
- Issue drawing packages that read as coordinated and consistent across the whole set.
- Stop redrawing the same junction from scratch every time it comes up on a new project.
- Catch compliance issues earlier, before they cascade into a bigger redesign.
- Spend the time you save on the project-specific decisions that actually need your judgement.
- Feel like the technical thinking underneath your designs is as considered as the design itself.
- Build a personal library of go-to references you return to, project after project.
What Our Members Say
What’s Inside
Over 700 resolved construction details. Covering the junctions and conditions that come up across real UK residential projects, from foundations to eaves — including the ones you don’t draw often enough to remember cold.
Formats built for how you work. CAD, SketchUp, Revit, PDF and JPEG — so in most cases you can drop a detail straight into your existing workflow, rather than redrawing it from another format.
Technical guides and articles. Practical breakdowns of Part M, Passivhaus, fire and sound requirements and more — written to help you apply the regulations, not just read them.
Detail packs. Related details grouped together by project type, like material change of use, so you’re not hunting down six separate downloads to cover one scenario.
New details added every month. The library keeps growing and updates alongside changing regulations, so what you’re working from doesn’t quietly go out of date.
Pricing
Monthly Membership
- Worth over £200!
- Access to the details DWG, SKP, REVIT, PDF and JPEG
- Access to the resources
- Monthly subscription - recurring payment, cancel anytime
- New details added regularly
- Limit of 25 downloads per month
- Price excludes VAT
Pro Membership
- Worth over £4,800!
- Access to all the details DWG, SKP, REVIT, PDF and JPEG
- Access to all the resources
- Annual subscription - recurring payment
- New details added regularly
- No download limit
- Price excludes VAT
Lite Membership
- Worth over £2,400!
- Access to all the details in CAD (DWG) format only
- Access to all the resources
- Annual subscription - recurring payment
- New details added regularly
- No download limit
- Price excludes VAT
Please read our Terms and Conditions before signing up.
Lite Membership includes all of the 2d details in dwg format – the details were drawn in AutoCAD, saved in version 2010.
Pro Membership includes the 2d details in dwg format, as above. It also includes the 2d drawings as REVIT files, PDF and JPG files. Finally, Pro Membership includes 3d details as SketchUp files (skp) saved in version 2022 (full SketchUp compatibility).
Monthly Membership includes the 2d details in dwg format, as above. It also includes the 2d drawings as REVIT files, PDF and JPG files. Finally, Monthly Membership includes 3d details as SketchUp files (skp) saved in version 2022 (full SketchUp compatibility). A limit of 25 downloads a month.
All CAD, Revit and SketchUp files are fully editable for your own use.
All memberships include access to all the additional resources available on the site.
Company, Practice and Multi-User Options
We provide various multi-user and company membership options. If you wish to sign up for membership for your company or for more than one user, please contact us to discuss your requirements at hello@detail-library.co.uk
Please note – we do not currently accept memberships from educational institutions. Get in touch with our team to discuss options for your institution.
Still Deciding?
If you’re still on the fence, it’s probably one of these.
You’re wondering whether you’d really keep using it. That’s fair — a subscription only earns its place if it becomes part of how you work. What we see most often is members reaching for it on almost every project, not filing it away after the first use.
You’re picturing yourself still doing all the drawing anyway. You will be — that’s not a flaw, it’s the design. The value isn’t in handing over your judgement, it’s in not starting every junction from nothing.
You’re not sure your software or your projects are covered. Fair question, and the honest answer is: possibly not entirely. We don’t support every CAD package, and the library’s built around UK residential work. The sample pack is there so you can check before you commit to anything.
You don’t need to be completely certain before you start. If you already know how much time you’re losing piecing details together each week, that’s usually reason enough.
Test Out the Drawings – Download a Free Sample
Not sure if the Detail Library is for you? Worried about compatibility? No problem, just enter your details and download a sample.
Our sample pack has been carefully curated to give you the best possible feel for the quality and scope of the resources available in the Detail Library. We’ve selected five of our most popular details, so you can properly explore how the library works before committing.
The sample pack includes all available detail file formats —AutoCAD, Revit, and SketchUp — allowing you to test compatibility with your own software, understand how the details are set up, and decide with confidence whether a membership is right for you.
Hi, I’m Emma.
I started the Detail Library because I remember what it felt like to be searching for one answer — piecing a junction together from old projects, guidance documents and whatever I could find online, and still not being entirely sure I’d got it right.
Over the last five years, I’ve watched the library grow from a handful of details into something architects, technologists and designers build into how they actually work — not something they dip into once and forget.
I believe technical knowledge should be shared, not guarded, and that no one should have to reinvent the same junction every time it comes up on a new project. If that’s something that would help your practice, I’d love to have you as part of it.
Happy detailing,
Emma & the Detail Library team
Frequently Asked Questions
What version of CAD will I need?
All of the CAD drawings are AutoCAD 2010. Although the dwg files may be compatible with other programs such as Vectorworks, we cannot guarantee functionality. If you are not sure whether you will be able to view the CAD file, please download a full sample set: Go to Sample Download
What version of Revit will I need?
All core Revit drawings are in version 2019. All Revit drawings published between Jan 2022 and Jan 2026 will be in version 2020. All new Revit drawings published from Jan 2026 are in version 2023. If you are not sure whether you will be able to view the Revit file, please download a full sample set: Go to Sample Download
What version of SketchUp will I need?
As of 1 October 2024 all new SKP details will be versionless, meaning that they are backward compatible with any supported versions (2023, 2024 , 2025 and 2026).
Any existing SketchUp details prior to October 2024 will remain in version 2015.
Do I have to use CAD and SketchUp?
No, you can also get the jpeg and pdf of each detail if you sign up to the Pro plan or purchase individual details. The jpeg and pdf files are for the 2d images only. The 3d details are only visible in the SketchUp files. If you are not sure whether you will be able to open any of the files - please download the full sample pack. Go to Sample Download.
Does the library include the Understanding Architectural Details books by Emma Walshaw?
The Detail Library membership does not include the books themselves, however it includes details from the Residential, Passivhaus and Loft book. It also includes a selection of details from the House Extension Details Book. It does not include details from the Commercial or North American books.
What details are included from the books?
What's the difference between the books and the library?
The books are predominantly aimed at students and new graduates (although people from all across the architectural field do purchase them) - they contain explanatory information along with a selection of details that can also be purchased alongside the book. The details are in CAD and SketchUp.
The Detail Library consists of many of the residential details from the books, but hundreds of other details that we have added. We add new details every month along with useful resources and technical guides. You can purchase one off details, or subscribe for a year to have unlimited access to all of the details, and the new ones we publish.
The Detail Library contains details from:
- Understanding Architectural Details Residential (4th Edition)
- Understanding Passivhaus
- Understanding Loft Conversions
- And some details from Understanding Architectural Details Basements and House Extension Details
The Pro membership provides the details in CAD, SketchUp, and Revit (2D).
Some people like to purchase both the books and a subscription, and if this is of interest we offer a discount to anyone purchasing both.
Can I cancel at any time?
The subscription is for one year access to the library, if you choose to cancel you will still have access to the library until your annual subscription renewal date. You can cancel at any time.
How long will I have access for?
If you sign up to the Lite or Pro plan you will receive access for one year. This will be auto renewed on an annual basis.
If you sign up for Monthly Membership you will receive access for one month, this will be auto renewed on a monthly basis.
14 Day Money back Guarantee
We understand that signing up for an annual subscription is a big decision. If you are not satisfied with the Detail Library, you can send us a message within the first 14 days and we will refund your money. Any refund will be subject to our Terms and Conditions.
Does the subscription renew automatically?
The annual subscription renews automatically every year, and you will get a reminder email before payment is due. The monthly subscription renews automatically every month, and you will get a reminder by email before the payment is due.
How many users can use an account?
Is there a subscription for teams or education institutions?
Are the details relevant in my country?
The details are all based on UK construction methods and standards.
Is it UK construction?
All details are based on UK construction and drawn in metric units. If you decide to sign up to the library from outside of the UK, we cannot guarantee how helpful the details will be for you.
