How Dan Pettit Turned a Musician’s Instinct Into An Award-Winning Decking Company

Unique Outdoor Experiences More Art Than Deck

Long before Northern Outdoor Living became known for its immersive decks and experiential outdoor installations, founder Dan Pettit lived a very different creative existence.

As a teenager in Iowa, he devoted himself to music. By age fifteen, he was performing two to three nights a week with musicians far older than him, practicing, teaching, and diving headfirst into the rhythms that shaped his early identity.

“I was really into music and thinking I was going to try and make a career out of it,” he recalls. “I came up to the Twin Cities to go to school for it, and that was my dream.”

Music was not just an interest; it was a framework for how Dan understood the world—through layers, harmony, storytelling, emotion, and presence. What he didn’t realize then was that the creative muscles he was building would one day define a completely different craft.

A Shift Toward Craftsmanship

To support his music career, Dan took a job as a carpenter’s laborer. He knew nothing about tools or building, but he approached it the same way he approached mastering an instrument: with intent, discipline, and curiosity.

“I didn’t know what a two-by-four was. I didn’t know what a rack of nails was. I didn’t know anything. But my philosophy is that wherever you are, just try and rock at it.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Experiences

Dan watched older carpenters work, borrowed their tools, then bought the same ones so he could practice after hours. When opportunities to prove himself were scarce, he created them—building bathrooms, trim work, even full rooms at cost so he could learn, improve, and refine his eye for detail.

In time, he found himself working on high-end homes in elite Minneapolis neighborhoods—Lake Minnetonka, Lake of the Isles, Edina—projects filled with details demanding the kind of exactness most builders never experience early in their career.

“I thought it was mind-blowing that you could have a hammer and a saw and build a whole house from sticks,” he says. “That just blew me away.”

Without realizing it yet, Dan had begun composing in a new medium.

When Life Rewrites the Score

Dan spent many years balancing music and carpentry—performing, teaching, and developing his skills on job sites. That balance shifted dramatically when he and his wife welcomed their first set of twins, and shifted again when a second set arrived.

“I was teaching, playing 120 shows a year, and then we suddenly had four kids in the house. Something had to give.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Experiences

Stepping back from music was a significant change, given how central it had been to his identity. Yet the creative impulse behind it did not disappear. “So I shut it down,” he says. “I mean I really shut it down. I didn’t do anything. And then it just crept out of me again… in the outdoor living space.”

That transition marked the beginning of a new chapter—one where his creative energy shifted from performance to building, eventually influencing the distinctive approach he brings to his work today.

A Builder Influenced by Music

As Dan transitioned fully into building decks and exterior structures, he realized that the creative instincts he developed through music remained central to his work. “I’m always interested in creating,” he says. “That’s really what it is. Whether it’s music or building, it’s the same thing.”

Instead of viewing outdoor projects purely as construction, he approached them with the same attention to mood and expression that once guided his musical compositions.

He considered how light interacts with surfaces, how materials contribute to a sense of balance, and how the overall environment influences the people who move through it. His goal was not just to complete a functional structure but to establish a clear atmosphere.

“I want to create a presence, an energy. A place that just feels relaxing to be in.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Experiences

This perspective gradually became a defining aspect of the award-winning Northern Outdoor Living, distinguishing Dan’s work from more conventional industry approaches.

A Paradigm Shift: Decks as Evocative Environments

For many years, Dan approached deck building in straightforward terms: a deck was a practical structure, defined largely by function.

That outlook shifted when a coworker introduced him to the work of Jason Russell, AKA Dr. Decks, and Sean Collinsgru of Premier Outdoor Living. Their projects demonstrated a level of design ambition and creativity that he had not previously associated with the field.

“It was just a paradigm shift,” Dan says. “There was this invisible ceiling—like, you’re building decks and here’s what a deck is. That’s as far as I went. But when I saw what they were doing, I thought, ‘Of course you can do this. Of course, you can take it further.’”

Seeing those possibilities reconnected him with the artistic drive he once expressed through music. The idea that outdoor structures could be designed with intention, nuance, and a sense of expression resonated immediately.

“Learning there were no limits to what I could create gave me permission to think bigger. It opened up this whole world.” – Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Experiences

The Tree of Life: A Breakthrough in Experiential Craft

Among Dan’s many projects, the Tree of Life installation represents a notable point of evolution in his work. The three-panel piece required extensive handwork, including the placement of thousands of fiber-optic points to create a layered, illuminated surface. “I think I did two or three thousand fiber optics,” he says. “It was super dense.”

The installation was striking not only for its level of detail but also for its departure from conventional outdoor features. Rather than functioning as a decorative backdrop, it introduced an element of visual depth and movement that set it apart from traditional deck work.

Its reception reflected that difference, drawing attention and acclaim for the way it expanded what an outdoor feature could be.

“No one taught me this. I’m just out there trying to do unique stuff.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Experiences

The Tree of Life project signaled a shift toward a more experiential approach—one in which lighting, form, and atmosphere play roles as significant as the structural elements themselves.

Design That Moves Like Light and Breathes Like Music

Dan designs outdoor environments with the same sensibilities he once used to shape a musical performance. His lighting plans—shadow boxes, fiber optic tapestries, hidden glows, layered illumination—are built to capture emotion rather than to decorate.

“Anything that feels like your environment is pulsing or breathing… that gets my juices going.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Living

His Minnesota projects, such as the Split Rock Lighthouse installation and the Witch Tree wall, show the extent of his creative range. The Witch Tree, for example, involved grinding patterns into aluminum to mimic waves and sky, then layering lighting so the piece shifted with the angle of the viewer.

“It was a lot of conceptualizing,” Dan says. “But when it all comes together, it gives off an energy. A presence.”

That word—presence—reappears throughout Dan’s philosophy. It is the key to understanding his work.

How Dan Pettit Of Northern Outdoor Living Works With Clients

Clients often come to Northern Outdoor Living with a simple request: a deck, a privacy wall, a feature. They stay because Dan can translate those requests into something meaningful.

“They usually have a little bit to tell me,” he explains, “and then they say, ‘We just trust you.’”

That trust is central to his process. Clients might share a single photo, a hometown memory, or a feeling they want the space to evoke. Dan listens, interprets, and begins shaping the design the way he once shaped a song—finding the rhythm in the client’s ideas, then elevating it.

“We want to give our clients the project they want, but wrapped up in a way they never could have imagined, something that vibrates for them.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Living

Dan uses detailed 3D models and video walkthroughs to help clients understand how the textures, shadows, lighting, and lines will come together. These aren’t merely renderings—they’re previews of an atmosphere he is composing specifically for them.

The Why Behind the Work

Dan’s underlying motivation is uncommon in the building trades. His interest extends beyond the physical structure of an outdoor space; he is focused on how that space will influence the people who use it.

“I want to deliver this place. This experience. And I just happen to do it through outdoor living.” -Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Living

That mindset shapes the work of Northern Outdoor Living and makes it difficult to imitate. Tools and techniques can be learned, but Dan’s perspective—shaped by years of musical training, hands-on craftsmanship, and a willingness to experiment—gives his projects a distinct character.

He approaches each environment with attention to light, rhythm, and atmosphere, aiming to create spaces that feel intentional and convey a clear sense of presence. This emphasis on experience, rather than production alone, is what sets his work apart.

Acurio Lattice as a Design Tool

As Dan’s work grew more experimental, he began searching for materials that could support the kind of layered, atmospheric environments he wanted to create. Standard products often couldn’t deliver the scale, detail, or adaptability he needed.

That changed when he began working with Acurio Lattice, a material he now uses not simply as a decorative panel but as an integral design component in his feature walls and outdoor living concepts.

Dan had known about Acurio for years before he ever used it, but he was drawn in once he learned how flexible the material could be. Unlike the off-the-shelf sheets he was used to encountering, Acurio’s willingness to customize patterns and dimensions opened the door to new possibilities.

When Dan called the company to discuss an unconventional 17½-foot, 12-inch band he needed for a project, he expected the usual limitations. Instead, he found collaboration.

“Marc was super accommodating,” Dan says of his first conversation with Acurio Latticeworks owner and CEO Marc McAVoy. “Most companies would say, ‘We sell four-by-eight sheets, sorry.’ But he’s an artist, too, and was excited about the project. He said without hesitation, ‘Yeah, we can modify that in the CAD system, print it out, get it to you.’ This was someone I was eager to work with.”

That flexibility allowed Dan to treat lattice not as a decorative accent but as part of a complete visual system. In one installation, he built a shadow-box cavity behind the panel, added fiber optics, and layered in subtle backlighting to create a controlled glow that shifts with the environment. The lattice became a filter for light—part structure, part screen, part atmospheric device.

Using Acurio Lattice to Create Universal Spaces

Acurio’s PVC-based lattice also aligns with Dan’s interest in creating work with a broader appeal. While some of his art-driven feature walls, like the Split Rock Lighthouse or Witch Tree installations, are tied to specific stories or landscapes, the Acurio-based projects are designed to feel open-ended and transferable.

“I wanted to get a little more universal. Not always do a scene. But I still wanted it to feel a little magical, and that’s where Acurio comes into the picture.” Dan Pettit, Northern Outdoor Living

For Dan, Acurio fits into a larger philosophy: the built environment should leave room for interpretation. The lattice panels provide a structured yet nonprescriptive framework, allowing light, shadow, and the surrounding space to play active roles in the final composition.

In that way, Acurio becomes not just a material Dan installs, but a medium he works through. It supports the kind of spacemaking he aims for—layered, adaptable, and capable of carrying the quiet sense of presence he tries to create in all of his projects, always connecting back to his creativity and musical roots.

A Future Built on Creativity, Not Convention

Today, Dan keeps his company intentionally lean so he can remain hands-on in both craft and vision. He continually refines his methods, experiments with new materials, and leans into the instinct that has guided him since childhood: to create something meaningful.

His work is evolving, but the foundation remains the same—a musician’s sense of storytelling expressed through carpentry and light.

And as Northern Outdoor Living continues to grow, one truth becomes clear: Dan isn’t just building outdoor spaces. He’s creating environments that feel and evoke emotions like music—compositions people can walk into, sit within, return to over and over again, and enjoy with family and friends for years to come.