3-Time NADRA Award Winner Dan Pettit on Illuminating Deck Design F&D Mastery Podcast #55

Dan Pettit's top-winning project was a curved, framed fiber-optic wall in Hastings, Minnesota depicting local landmarks — including the town's historic spiral bridge (demolished in 1951) — that swept three of his four 2024 NADRA awards for illumination, special feature and inlay, complete with a real water feature flowing into a lit river inlay.

He has won 13 NADRA awards in just three years of entering, making a splash his very first year with fiber-optic wall projects that came 'out of left field' for the industry.

Dan came to the trades from a prior 12-year career as a touring musician and teacher — roughly 120 shows a year and 40 private students — and channels that same creative drive into deck design rather than being motivated by the awards themselves.

For award submissions he stresses magazine-quality finished photos (he hires a dedicated drone operator), a clean staged site with no hoses or clutter, and using the 200-word description to convey the hidden complexity that judges can't see in the images.

He now also documents behind-the-scenes innovation with time-lapses and short clips, using the allowed 60-second video and six photos to showcase the full build process.

Dan deliberately positions Northern Outdoor Living where no competitor operates — filling a creative gap in the market — so he never worries about losing jobs, and even hides personal touches like clients' birthday constellations in his fiber walls.

He argues outdoor living can be cheaper than a full addition while adding genuinely usable living space, and after ceasing to have employees in 2024 he's intentionally staying small — just him and one efficient partner — to master his model before deciding whether to scale.