Tight Knot Design Build LLC

Tight Knot Design Build, led by architect-trained carpenter Adam Lans, is built around one thing: custom decks, porches and outdoor structures that don't look like a standard build. The company says it works out of the Pittsburgh, PA area while also serving New Hampshire towns including Manchester, Nashua, Concord and Merrimack, and its self-reported services run from patios and pergolas to custom cabinetry and finish carpentry. The reviews on file, spanning 2018 through early 2026 across Google, Houzz and Thumbtack, describe the same kind of project again and again: a deck built around an unusual site or an unusual request. In a 2021 Houzz review, a homeowner described a front deck with a partial pergola built from natural hardwood decking, aluminum balusters and cedar railings; in a 2022 Google review, another customer called a finished backyard deck "unique and artistic" and mentioned a hidden gate worked in for a small dog. A 2018 Houzz review describes Lans's team building a treehouse, then a shed with a loft, then a set of benches cut from a felled tree for the same repeat customer. As recently as a January 2026 Thumbtack review, a client praised the workmanship on a new deck and Lans's willingness to make adjustments on the fly. Beyond decks, the company's own listings and site describe a broader carpentry and remodeling practice — framing, custom cabinetry, additions, new construction and hardwood flooring — with a design background (a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon) that shows up in the more architectural jobs like the pergola and treehouse builds. One thing worth asking about directly: the business's own materials list a Pittsburgh, PA base while its Houzz profile places it in Manchester, NH, so it's worth confirming which crew and service area would actually handle a given job. BuildZoom also shows a Westchester County, NY general contractor license and a home improvement contractor license under a similar profile, both expired or inactive — BuildZoom itself flags that this may be a different registration and jurisdiction, so it's worth confirming which licenses actually apply before signing. For a deck, pergola or built-in carpentry project with a design element, the string of detailed, specific reviews over several years makes a solid case; for anything outside that lane, it's worth asking exactly which crew and licensing would cover the job given the multi-state footprint.