"We had the pleasure of building our home with Deirdre this past summer (2009) and from the moment she arrived
on-site we felt we were in capable hands. Her easy going manner but meticulous planning made our project very enjoyable.
Her crew, which comes and goes depending on the task at hand, were as professional and hardworking as she was. Working
with Deirdre allowed us to complete our project on time and budget, with no surprises. We couldn’t have been more
delighted with the outcome." Donna and Andre Hurtubise
"To any prospective straw bale clients; I had the pleasure of working with Deirdre McGahern while I was building my house. She was a joy to work with. She is extremely professional in her manner and in her level of preparedness. I would call her extraordinarily meticulous and conscientious, with a keen attention to detail. Deirdre keeps a very organized work site and is scrupulous about cleaning which is of paramount importance especially in the plastering stages and later when energy is waning. She has an easy manner and is very collaborative in her style of working. This is very important in any environment but is acutely important when working on straw bale where the ideal is to have the project evolve to a large extent. With a background in fine art it is obvious that she is familiar with this process. In her own words “straw bale gives you the sense that you are making a house as apposed to building it”. I would not hesitate to recommend Deirdre for any straw bale project that you may be considering."
Sincerely, Peter Millican and Jane Miller
"Deirdre is a careful, thorough builder and designer and the undisputed queen of the cool
little building." Chris Magwood
"Deirdre from Straworks completed her first Straw Bale building in the Centre Hastings Skatepark.
The building is a fully functional canteen with two washrooms and a family washroom. Deirdre gave us the encouragement to
strive for an environmentally friendly park. What impressed me the most about Deirdre was her work ethic and her pride in
her workmanship! Although not a part of her job, she also took a real interest in the young people in the park. Thanks Deirdre
for playing a big part in our unique community park." Carman Donato
"Deirdre integrated our baling
and carpentry processes seamlessly. She was able to draw on her extensive knowledge of construction and carpentry in order
to facilitate the final straw bale and plaster finishes that we wanted. Her detailing for things like window bucks and sills
and for doorways is well thought out, and carefully done. She provided excellent project planning – materials,
approach, aesthetics, order of operations. This provided safe, confident, quality work. Best of all, she is great on the job
site – skilled, creative, competent, and a whole lot of fun." Jonathan Sheppard and Amanda Lavers
"Deirdre is thorough, keeps her clients in the
loop at all times, is reliable, and meticuluous in her work. She is conscientious about minimizing waste while balancing this with artistic expression in sustainable construction." Bea Heissler
