Theory

Site selection features prominently in the permaculture design course. I'd already come across the idea of passive solar from earthships. This concept is discussed in many places available on the interwebs. What I gained from my research were a couple of principles:

South-facing

Or north facing if you are south of the equator. To mitigate heat gain in the middle of the day, don't have a bunch of east or west facing windows, because the sun will shine right in them. North-facing windows will leak heat in winter (but are good for painting).

Trees

Be near deciduous trees. They'll provide shade in summer, and then will let the sun shine on your house when the leaves fall. But don't forget shade will block solar energy, too.

Overhangs

Put awnings or some such on your south facing windows at such a placement that corresponds to your latitude. In summer, they will block direct sun. In winter the sun shines through the window because it's lower on the horizon.

Wind

You might want some protection from it if you plan to grow anything.

Habitat

Try not to do anything anything in the rainy season that will disturb fishies' water.

Soil

Try not to disturb too much of the site. You'll just have to landscape, it, and mitigate any erosion. 

Practice

Overview Layout Site Foundation Openings Deck Kitchen Roof Ladder

I settled on a site after three years of ownership, after wheedling with my partners. I chose a place that was near our water supply, had a relatively nice view, and had plenty of shade. I chose a spot that had a downed oak tree. Clearing the tree meant I could have a spot that was within a grove, but would not disturb any of the living trees root system. It of course disturbed the moss and ants, but they will grow back.

I had done some investigation with the local storage container guy about his willingness to come out with his four-wheel drive forklift. Lots of people in rural areas use shipping containers for ranch storage. It was great that there was someone nearby who had the equipment. He said as long as there was level ground that his forklift wouldn't get stuck on, it would work. An incline was okokay, but not too much. I would not have chosen this path without first ensuring that there would be a way to get the containers on the foundation.

Tools

• Telephone

I hired a local guy with a backhoe to move the oak tree and level the hill with those parameters. That is, I did not want to disturb the site, but wanted a smooth ramp for the forklift to go up. He executed these instructions perfectly.

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One person can make a difference.

© 2008 Kathy Tafel | Site Credits