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In the late 1990s, Benjamin Sterrett & Julie Kitson
met at Earlham College, a small liberal arts school located
amidst the corn and soybean fields of eastern Indiana. There
the seeds of green building, renewable energy and social
responsibility were planted.
After moving to Ithaca, NY in 2000, they began pursuing
their interests by helping family and friends install and
maintain small off-grid systems. They also remained heavily
involved with community building projects. Their first full
renovation came with the revamp of ‘Towhee Lodge’,
an old stone cabin built in the 1930s. The renovation was
yet another inspiration that fueled Julie and Benj’s
dreams of running their own design+build company as well
as constructing their own home. From those dreams Dovetail
Builders, LLC was born.
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While focused on new construction, renovations, solar
installations and fine cabinetry Dovetail Builders is constantly
looking at how to improve it's processes. With new technologies
and materials come more efficient and greener ways to build.
Ideals of green building, renewable energy and custom cabinetry
using the finest woods are constantly balanced with budgets,
affordable building and learning curves. Dovetail is committed
to using locally milled lumber and supporting small, local
sawmills whenever financially viable. This past year, Dovetail
was excited to embark on a new project – building
small, affordable housing designed by Jay Sheffield from
Tiny Tumbleweed Houses. They’ve also put much energy
into researching greener finishes, using another local product
‘Tried & True’ for much of their cabinetry
work.
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how
we started
