diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 511d057..8d2eeb0 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -37,6 +37,6 @@
 docs/html/index.html: 
 	cd docs && ./builddocs.sh
 
-sdk:	$(DESTDIR)usr/local/uimacpp/bin/runAECpp docs/html/index.html $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)
-	echo "Building SDK with $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) in target directory $(TARGETDIR)"
-	export APR_HOME=$(apr_install) ICU_HOME=$(icu_install) XERCES_HOME=$(xerces_install) ACTIVEMQ_HOME=$(activemq_install) APU_HOME=$(apu_install) && ./buildsdk.sh $(TARGETDIR)
+sdk:	$(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/bin/runAECpp docs/html/index.html $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)
+	echo "Building SDK with $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)  in target directory $(TARGETDIR)"
+	export APR_HOME=$(apr_install) ICU_HOME=$(icu_install) XERCES_HOME=$(xerces_install) ACTIVEMQ_HOME=$(activemq_install) APU_HOME=$(apu_install) UIMA_INSTALLDIR=$(DESTDIR)$(prefix) && ./buildsdk.sh $(TARGETDIR)
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index ec23a45..54bba7a 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -679,9 +679,9 @@
 docs/html/index.html: 
 	cd docs && ./builddocs.sh
 
-sdk:	$(DESTDIR)usr/local/uimacpp/bin/runAECpp docs/html/index.html $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)
-	echo "Building SDK with $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) in target directory $(TARGETDIR)"
-	export APR_HOME=$(apr_install) ICU_HOME=$(icu_install) XERCES_HOME=$(xerces_install) ACTIVEMQ_HOME=$(activemq_install) APU_HOME=$(apu_install) && ./buildsdk.sh $(TARGETDIR)
+sdk:	$(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/bin/runAECpp docs/html/index.html $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)
+	echo "Building SDK with $(icu_install) $(apr_install) $(xerces_install) $(activemq_install) $(apu_install)  in target directory $(TARGETDIR)"
+	export APR_HOME=$(apr_install) ICU_HOME=$(icu_install) XERCES_HOME=$(xerces_install) ACTIVEMQ_HOME=$(activemq_install) APU_HOME=$(apu_install) UIMA_INSTALLDIR=$(DESTDIR)$(prefix) && ./buildsdk.sh $(TARGETDIR)
 # Tell versions [3.59,3.63) of GNU make to not export all variables.
 # Otherwise a system limit (for SysV at least) may be exceeded.
 .NOEXPORT:
diff --git a/README.4src b/README.4src
index 367ade3..0dfc650 100644
--- a/README.4src
+++ b/README.4src
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 Linux systems with gcc version 3.4.6 and on Windows using MSVC version 8.
 64-bit builds have only been tested on Linux with gcc 4.3.2 and 4.4.6.
 
+For up-to-date build instructions. please see these pages on the Apache UIMA site: 
+https://uima.apache.org/dev-quick.html
+https://uima.apache.org/doc-uimacpp-build.html
 
 ----------------
 Building on Unix
@@ -98,9 +101,9 @@
   make sdk TARGETDIR=loc_of_sdk_tree [clean]
 
 By default the install step will put UIMACPP components in
-/usr/local/uimacpp. To install them elsewhere, add the following
+/usr/local/uimacpp. To build an SDK, install them elsewhere by adding the following
 option to configure:
-  --prefix=install_target_loc
+  --prefix=install_target_loc e.g. --prefix=~/uimacpp-2.4.0/install
 
 The SDK tree will be created in loc_of_sdk_tree/uimacpp. Package by:
 
@@ -122,8 +125,12 @@
 APU_HOME and JAVA_INCLUDE.
 
 The following commands assume you are running from a Microsoft Visual
-Studio 2005 Command Prompt. If using MSVC Express Edition, replace the
-devenv command with vcexpress.
+Studio 2005 Command Prompt. 
+If using MSVC Express Edition, 
+  cd uimacpp-2.X.Y\src
+  run vcexpress uimacpp.sln and do any conversions as prompted.
+  replace devenv command with vcexpress in the winmake and test/fvt.sh scripts and in all build instructions. 
+  continue with the instructions below.
 
 1 Build the UIMA C++ framework in both release and debug:
   cd \uimacpp-2.X.Y\src
diff --git a/buildsdk.sh b/buildsdk.sh
index 9c2487d..083d0ff 100755
--- a/buildsdk.sh
+++ b/buildsdk.sh
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@
 # set default values if not set
 
 if [ "$UIMA_INSTALLDIR" = "" ]; then
-	export UIMA_INSTALLDIR=$UIMACPP_SOURCE/usr/local/uimacpp
+	echo ERROR: UIMA_INSTALLDIR is not set.
+       	exit
 fi
 
 if [[ "$APR_HOME" = "" || "$ICU_HOME" = "" || "$XERCES_HOME" = "" ]]; then
@@ -240,25 +241,25 @@
 
 cp $CPL "$UIMACPP_SOURCE/src/base.mak" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 	
-echo copying from "$APR_HOME"...
+echo copying APR from "$APR_HOME"...
 cp $CPLR  "$APR_HOME"/include/apr-* "$UIMA_DIR"/include/
 eval cp $CPLR "$APR_HOME"/lib/libapr*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 
-echo copying from "$ICU_HOME"...
+echo copying ICU from "$ICU_HOME"...
 cp $CPLR "$ICU_HOME"/include/unicode "$UIMA_DIR"/include/
 eval cp $CPLR "$ICU_HOME"/lib/libicuio*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 eval cp $CPLR "$ICU_HOME"/lib/libicuuc*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 eval cp $CPLR "$ICU_HOME"/lib/libicui18n*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 eval cp $CPLR "$ICU_HOME"/lib/libicudata.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 	
-echo copying from "$XERCES_HOME"...
+echo copying Xerces from "$XERCES_HOME"...
 cp $CPLR "$XERCES_HOME"/include/xercesc "$UIMA_DIR"/include/
 eval cp $CPLR "$XERCES_HOME"/lib/libxerces-c*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 
 if [ ! "$ACTIVEMQ_HOME" = "" ]; then
-  echo copying from "$ACTIVEMQ_HOME"...
+  echo copying ActiveMQ from "$ACTIVEMQ_HOME"...
   eval cp $CPLR "$ACTIVEMQ_HOME"/lib/libactivemq-cpp*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
-  echo copying from "$APU_HOME"...
+  echo copying APR-Util from "$APU_HOME"...
   eval cp $CPLR "$APU_HOME"/lib/libaprutil*.$LIBEXT"*" "$UIMA_DIR"/lib/
 fi