Design, engineering and construction across the Sierra foothills. Hillside structures, custom builds, interiors and finish work, handled by one team from the first sketch to the final walkthrough.
Kitchen remodel
Who we are
We take on the projects other contractors pass on: steep lots, complicated custom builds, and the handmade finish work that most crews won’t touch.
Gambino Construction is an old-school builder with a modern approach. We design, engineer and build in-house, so the people who plan your project are the people who answer for it. And we don’t sell clients things they don’t need.
Most projects touch several trades. We keep them under one roof, so nothing gets lost between the foundation and the finish.
The work that has to be right before anything else can be. Especially on foothill terrain.
Built in sequence by the same team, with the finishes planned before the walls go up.
The specialist work that sets a house apart, and the repairs that keep an old one standing.
A few recent jobs, and the decisions that made them come out right.
A kitchen water leak had badly damaged a historic pine floor. Instead of replacing it, we cut out only the ruined boards and had Cedar Creek mill make new pine to match, a very hard fit to get right. The new boards were aged to blend with the old.
Pine is a softwood, so we skipped the drum sander to preserve the floor’s thickness. Slower, harder, and worth it. With a high-quality finish, it shouldn’t need attention for decades.
Red handmade tile on a fireplace, finished in custom cedar trim. A bathroom with a terrazzo tile floor, a cedar ceiling, and a window placed so the owner can rest an arm on the open sill, which will be trimmed in quarter-inch solid brass, cut to fit.
We framed it, ran the plumbing and electrical, hung the drywall, made the molding and set the tile. Getting tile lines right starts at the foundation, so we prefer to be on a job from start to finish.
A workshop below with a kids’ play level above: climbing wall, cargo net and jungle gym. A half-inch plexiglass panel in the upstairs floor lets the kids watch their dad work, lit by two skylights set right over it.
The second story is balloon framed rather than platform framed, for a stiffer structure without brackets. Much of the material was reclaimed, which saved the client real money. The ridge beam runs long, ready for something fun at the peak.
One team through the beginning, middle and end of a project. That’s how we know the result will be right.
Tell us what you want and what you want to spend. We’ll work to your budget and tell you honestly what you don’t need.
We draw and engineer it in-house, thinking through foundation, framing, cabinets and tile layout together.
Structure, systems and interiors by the same crew, in the right order, measured as many times as it takes.
Trim, tile and the details people notice. Then a walkthrough with you before we call it done.
Every piece of handmade tile is different, so it can’t be set with spacers the conventional way. It takes an eye for how each line affects the others. Our founder sets most of it himself, alongside a tile craftsman on our crew.
Terrazzo started in 15th-century Venice: leftover marble set into the floor and polished smooth. We install modern terrazzo tile, and we’ve poured and polished a floor the original way for an LA showcase house. We’d love to do another.
Ask about a tile project“Expertly restored my weathered deck with meticulous skills. My deck looks better than new. Every time I look at the deck all I can do is smile.”
B. W., Grass Valley, via Nextdoor
“People ask what we do. The better question is what we don’t do.”
Aron Gambino, founder
Gambino Construction was founded by Aron Gambino, who has spent 31 years in construction and 20 running his own jobs. He’s old-school in how he works and loves the complicated, custom projects that don’t come out of a box.
The company is based in Nevada City, and we care about preserving the history of this town. When we can, we buy local, from mills like Cedar Creek, and keep the money we spend in the community.
If a project isn’t something we take on, we’ll point you in the right direction.
Based in Nevada City and building across Nevada County and the Sierra foothills.
We’re growing. If you’re a skilled tradesperson who takes pride in getting it right, framers, finish carpenters, tile setters, we’d like to hear from you.
Send us your experienceEmail is the best way to reach us. Tell us about the project, send a few photos, and include your budget if you have one.