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Land and site · Master site plan and civil design · site-10

Draw the master site plan using zones

Combine all overlays into one plan that places every system, using the permaculture idea of zones: things you visit most go closest to the house. This plan is the shared map for every module.

How

  1. Use the zone idea as a guide (NC State Extension): zone 0 is the house; zone 1 is visited several times a day (kitchen and herb garden, scrap compost); zone 2 about daily (vegetable beds, poultry, cold frames); zone 3 about weekly (orchard, perennial shrubs); zone 4 monthly or seasonally (nut trees, woodland, long-term compost); zone 5 is left unmanaged, to observe nature.
  2. Place the house on stable, well-drained ground with good winter sun, out of drainage lines and flood zones, and with room for the fire zones in site-12.
  3. Place the solar array in the best unshaded area from site-5, as close to the house or battery room as practical to keep cable runs short.
  4. Place water tanks on high ground for gravity pressure where possible, and wells upslope of septic fields, animal yards and fuel stores.
  5. Place the septic tank and dispersal field on the suitable soil found in site-8 and site-9, downslope of wells and away from drainage lines, with space for a reserve area if required locally.
  6. Place animals, compost and manure downslope of wells and away from the house's prevailing upwind side.
  7. Apply the separation distances from site-11 and the fire zones from site-12 and redraw until everything fits.
  8. Mark the access road, turnaround and utility corridors (site-13 and site-16).

Do these first

Sources

  1. Site and Soil Evaluation for Onsite Wastewater Systems (MF2645). Kansas State University Research and Extension, accessed 2026-11
  2. Defensible Space: Protection Against Wildfires. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11
  3. Protecting Your Private Well. Mississippi State University Extension, accessed 2026-11
  4. Solar Orientation: Solar Arrays and Panels. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11
  5. Appendix G: Permaculture Design (Extension Gardener Handbook). North Carolina State University Extension, accessed 2026-11

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