FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

Jess Deyong co-founded dollHOUSE design + build in April 2020 at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic. Over the years, Jess has guided the business through 80+ renovations to Century Homes in Hamilton, Ontario.

As dollHOUSE’s in house designer, from kitchens to bathrooms and basements to attics, Jess aims to juxtapose old and new to create vibrant, functional and stylish living spaces that work for each and every client.

As part of the core of dollHOUSE's values, Jess and the crew strive to empower and build up women in the trades industry.

She is extremely passionate about dollHOUSE, restoring and beautifying Century Homes, and strengthening the fabric of Hamilton’s tight knit, hard working female entrepreneurial community.

Jess believes in fairness, equality, following a strict moral compass and doing the right thing, even when it’s hard. She brings these values to the core of dollHOUSE’s operations. Every member of the team shares these values, and it shows: Nobody cares more about your Century Home than we do!

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER

Mery was born with a knife between her teeth in the streets of Venezuela. With a discovery early on that she could wield power tools just as easily as her toddler machete, she decided to pursue a career in construction as a healthier way to release stress. When authorities caught on that the recent drop in weekly body counts was correlated to Mery's new passion, she was caught in a sting operation on Christmas eve, 1997.She spent 3 years in a maximum security prison in Tijuana - where they send all the worst criminals - which is where she learned how to tile, drywall, and macrame.

When released she met the love of her life, Sybel, and the two moved to Canada. Mery decided to turn over a new leaf and joined the construction industry, using a new pseudonym to deflect any nosey ne'er do wells who may go sniffing around into her past.

Now called Consuela, she forged ahead stoically, carving out a niche for herself in the Hamilton renovation space. Today, Consuela lives at home with her wife Sybel (now called Oprah), her son Michelangelo, and sixteen cats that she adopted from the local rescue.

(This is what happens when you don’t submit your bio on time. Jess writes it for you. lol!)

STRATEGY, OPERATIONS & DESIGN

In Spring of 2024 Cat sent an email to Jess, asking if dollHOUSE was hiring. She suggested they meet for a coffee and chat. Whelp, that meeting lasted nearly four hours, and right away it was clear this was a match made in heaven.

With a BA in Architecture, Cat found working on institutional and commercial projects didn’t have the soul and connection she was looking for, and switched gears to the world of residential construction.

She has over 12 years of experience in design and architecture, including roles with a design + build company in Montreal doing all things sales, design & Project Management, and with a tech startup in San Francisco, designing & implementing systems to streamline bid & design processes.

Cat brings her skills and experience to dollHOUSE by managing the pre-project phase, handling all estimates, budgets, overseeing engineered drawings, permit applications and client relations. We are thrilled to have her on the team!

FINANCE NINJA

After a 15-year journey in the film industry, Lawra unearthed a passion for budgeting, steering her towards a fresh career in accounting.

Longing for the drama of filmmaking, she found her perfect match in the dynamic world of home renovations. Lawra is now tasked with keeping dollHOUSE budgets in check, handling all financial matters and keeping things smoothly running on all cylinders.

Lawra was actually one of dollHOUSE’s first renovation clients back in 2020, she is thrilled to now be part of the management team!

SITE LEAD

Roger joined the dollHOUSE crew in March 2023, and we are incredibly lucky to have him! The most humble man you’ll ever meet, Roger has over thirty years of experience in construction. He handles every aspect of residential renovations with ease and dare we say…perfectionism. Roger takes enormous pride in his work, and is a fan favourite of clients and crew alike. He is generous with his knowledge and expertise, passing along his skills to our juniors at every opportunity.

After years of being on his own, Roger was looking forward to stepping down from the business/management side of renovations - he is very happy to be able to focus solely on construction, while we handle the rest.

If you ever want to make him mad, just tell him DeWalt tools are better than Milwaukee!

SITE LEAD

Another chance addition to our team, Jonathan reached out to us in December 2023 and once again we were very lucky to have a perfect fit join the team! Prior to joining dollHOUSE, Jonathan had been running his own renovation company, TallTree Construction. Like Roger, he was eager to step down from the business end of things to focus on what he loves best.

A red seal carpenter, Jonathan has been licensed for four years, with 10 years total in the construction industry. Jonathan is valued not just for the speed and quality of the work he produces (he does it all!) he’s also very easy going, friendly, and always happy to answer any questions.

He also has a great sense of humour, that we all look forward to on April Fool’s Day. 😛

SITE LEAD

Bernie joined the team in September 2023 both he and his wife reached out knowing it would be a great fit! Another Jack of All Trades, Bernie has 10 years of experience completing all facets of interior renovations. Bernie can do it all, but has started to specialise in kitchen renovations (after having completed four within his first year with dollHOUSE!).

We are incredibly lucky to have Bernie on the team - not only can he handle all aspects of the renovation process, he is a master drywaller. This has become an invaluable resource for us as we tackle all sorts of janky walls in these old century homes! Bernie restores these beauties - whether they’re plaster and lathe or drywall - to their former glory.

If you want to know the way to Bernie’s heart… his love language is cookies and muffins. 😛

SITE LEAD

Eric is our newest construction crew recruit! He joins us with a background ranging from project management to hands on construction, handling residential renovations.

You may say Eric’s true love is cabinetry, millwork and fine carpentry, but he applies his meticulous attention to detail to all aspects of the reno lifecycle.

Eric has led small scale projects all the way to full scale additions - we are very lucky to have him on board!

He’s still relatively new, so we can’t tell you his love language or greatest weakness yet… But we’re working on it! :P

JUNIOR CREW MEMBER

Leila has one of the coolest origin stories out of anyone on our team! She was inspired to get into the renovation industry after watching two of dollHOUSE’s founding members, Sybel and Mery, renovate her family home when she was a teenager. 

After training at both Mohawk College and Threshold School of Building, Leila applied through the General Carpenter Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Youth run in partnership with The Career Foundation and Mohawk College (we are incredibly proud to be supporters of these programs!).

Leila graduated on September 1st 2023 and started working with dollHOUSE on September 5th!

She has been a valued member of the team for her work ethic, interest in learning new skills, boundless energy and of course, the fact that she does not require a ladder to change a light bulb. 😛

JUNIOR CREW MEMBER

Bri is one of our longest standing crew members, having joined us in February 2022! Originally an arborist by trade, she knew she had a passion for interior renovations and working with her hands.

After carving out a role for herself in the dollHOUSE crew with her strong work ethic, positive attitude and willingness to roll her sleeves up no matter the task, she took a brief hiatus from dollHOUSE to attend the Women in Skilled Trades program. She had intended to further explore a career in the electrical field, but apparently decided dollHOUSE was where she wanted to be - and she returned to us with welcome, open arms!

We are very lucky to have Bri as part of our crew!

SUPREME LEAD SUPERVISOR

Don’t let this cute little mug fool you, Emman means BUSINESS. He’s one of the most ruthless supervisors on site, and can take a grown man down with a single stare. Following in his mothers’ footsteps, Emman was born with a hammer in his tiny fist and learned all his moves from the very best - Sybel and Mery!

The way to crack Emmanuel is with snuggles, milk and peek a boo.