Go to TES Alliance and go through their http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/forum/12-construction-set-basics/ tutorial. That will teach you everything you need to know in a reasonably short amount of time.
You may also want to peruse the http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/A_beginner%27s_guide%2C_lesson_1_-_The_Construction_Set_Primer at the CS Wiki.