Visited an interesting eco-build recently; walls done very neatly with a combination of cordwood / lime mortar fill plus straw-bale. Thats by-the-way; the builder passed on a little tip ...

Always erect posts in a building in the same sense with which the wood grew; otherwise, they will be more liable to insect attack. I think there was a complimentary rule for beams using compass orientation.

Can anyone confirm this?