As with all real estate
Location, location, location…
In which country and where in that country do we want and can we live.
We decided a long time ago that we didn't want to stay in Holland. It is becoming suffocatingly crowded. The air is becoming more and more polluted and worst of all. It is soooo expensive.
We do not want to do any concessions to our living environment, we want it our way.
With freedom to move, to breath.
No direct neighbors.
A place where we can have dogs run around freely.
Where we can grow our own vegetables.
Where we can make some noise without bothering anybody and where we aren't bothered by anybody else's noise.
In short, we want to live on our terms and to do that in Holland you need loads and loads of money.
And what else
Well.., the land should be wide enough to build an Earthship form west to east, that is, if you read from left to right and standing in front of the house. The front windows must face south, or at least as south as possible. Especially in temperate or colder climates, you need the sunlight to get heat and electricity.
Remember that an Earthship can be as wide as you want, but the depth is limited. The sun has to reach the back wall in order to heat it up.
Slopes
Preferably a gentle slope will do nicely, not to much and facing south, again. Since an Earthship is build into the earth, or joined with the earth it is useful to dig in as much as possible. Also, digging in will require less tires and that is less work. A good example can be seen in these pictures.
Also, when building up a slope, gravity can be used better. Catching fresh water up the hill and dumping your black water down hill.
