Well ... for village placement remember:

1. the locations of the buildings usually aren't planned, except perhaps the first few buildings.
2. over time houses accrete around the initial settlement.
3. distance to water remains important as the village spreads.
4. if the area is dangerous, houses tend to occupy secure, easily fortified locations - like all clustered atop a ridge or a hill-top.
5. houses tend to be built so that the tending of crops is as easy as possible - so if flat land is at a premium, all the houses will be built on slopes.
6. that's pretty much it ...