This is such an important point and I'm glad it's the bedrock idea. I've been trying to plan out a house design, and while there are things I know matter to me no matter where I am (such as not having my bedroom window face east and having bathroom windows that open), my builder and I are waiting to pin down most things about the design until we've spent more time on the land. There is a little hut there now, and I may car camp in it a few nights after the purchase of the land is complete, so that I get more of a feel for how the land changes throughout the days.

That of course is no comparison with cultures that developed through centuries of observation and adaptation. It's a start though.