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Nino Perrotta of P & P at his desk, Secret Service awards behind him.

Hey, Nino! Nino Perrotta, President and CEO of P & P Construction, is an affable, “come in and sit down” kind of guy. A first-generation Italian-American from the Bronx, Perrotta’s parents raised him to treat the customers right at their family-run deli. Everybody likes this guy, with the exception of John Gotti, Jr. [assumption mine]. In 1995, Perrotta joined the Secret Service, and was part of the team whose mission was to bring down members of the Gambino crime family, including Gotti. You should consider reading the rest of this story, capisce?

Interesting Path to Construction
So Perrotta joins the Secret Service, brings down John Gotti and his famiglia. The Secret Service sends Perrotta to Rome, where he accompanied President George H.W. Bush in a stiff tour beneath the Coliseum, then President Clinton on a fun-filled tour of the same. After Rome, Perrotta lived for a time in Romania, followed by Bulgaria, and finally made DC home.

He met and married the lovely Dena Padula, whose father is local builder Dino Padula of Padula Construction. “He said I should work in construction with him,” Perrotta began. “I had a basement office at 1445 Pennsylvania Avenue. My first job was a basement renovation on Euclid in NW.” And so it began. He learned the business fast. “I’d focus on each project, on the details, get it done on time. I’d come in with low bids, competitive pricing, aggressive timelines,” Perrotta explained. In 2003, he began P & P, and recently relocated to a renovated office at 1518 Pennsylvania Ave., SE (entrance through the alley), along with a full staff and a space to showcase their custom cabinetry.

P & P, Here & Now
Jennifer Fowler of Fowler Architects has collaborated on a number of projects with P & P over the last five years, including a complete gut and renovation of her own home. “They were great,” Fowler said. “Most projects of this size take 4 to 5 months to complete. They did it in 2 and a half. They’re brave enough to take on tight deadlines.”

Architect Dennis Connors of synergy design, who has known Perrotta since 2004, said about a P & P project at 10th and G St., SE, “It was clear from the start that they’re able to handle complex renovations – major earthwork, historic renovation concerns. They are vested in the community.”

Denise Drelichman had historic constraints when she hired P & P to rebuild after fire in her 1865 wood frame home caused extensive smoke and water damage. “They were really responsive to all our concerns, answered all our questions,” said Drelichman, “which was why we went back to them for the second project,” that being a basement dig-out.

Green building is in the P & P philosophy, not just in building materials. “When we go into a project, we look for what we can save, what we can reuse. What we can’t reuse we send to Community Forklift,” Perrotta said. “The Capitol Hill client is a green, conscientious client. If you don’t appreciate that then you can’t be a part of it.” As for the materials P & P uses, “There’s a push for green cabinetry. We install geo-thermal and solar heating, and we use green flooring – bamboo. We use low- or no-VOC, non-toxic paint.”

For over two years, P & P has owned its own local mill shop that makes their custom cabinets, managed by 10-year veteran of the building industry, Andrea Pompeii, who also is the kitchen and bath design manager. “Most construction companies don’t have [a mill shop] – it’s a big liability, hard to manage,” said Perrotta.

“What really sets us apart is that we truly appreciate the philosophy that clients are always right. We are dedicated to establishing a relationship that goes beyond the renovation,” Perrotta explained. “We keep in the loop, make donations to local charities. We just did the community garden over here. I am grateful to Capitol Hill Residents – I wouldn’t be here without Hill folks. As a consumer, you have nothing to worry about – that’s what separates us.”