About

Ed Welch

Owner|Founder of Dovetail Architectural Woodworks, Inc.

Ed began his construction career in 1979, joining a remodeling crew on an Air Force Dining Hall in Austin, Texas. He worked construction in the summers during college then got the opportunity in 1982 to travel around the world to Sialkot, Pakistan, where he spent a year site managing an eighteen-room addition on a hospital. After finishing his BA in English Literature and teaching in Africa for two years, Ed returned to residential construction in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980’s.

Ed’s Bay Area construction career began with Van Acker Construction in Mill Valley, and then went on to doing high-end finish work with the TW Adams Company and finally as site superintendent for WA Design/Build in Berkeley. As site superintendent for this dynamic firm, Ed oversaw the completion of numerous very complex projects and gained invaluable experience in the demands of high-end residential construction.

Upon leaving WA Design and moving to Seattle, WA, Ed became his own boss as a general contractor and cabinetmaker, specializing in kitchen remodels and returning to his love of woodworking. After studying with well-known Seattle furniture maker Ross Day, Ed continued his woodworking education at the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, CA under the guidance of world-renowned furniture artist, James Krenov.

Since returning to CA in 2003, Ed founded his own company Dovetail Construction, the culmination of his widespread experience and expertise in the building trades, now exclusively doing high-end Millwork Fabrication.

Dovetail has done projects for a long list of architects, designers, and builders, among them Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson in San Francisco, Arcanum Architecture in SF, Arkin Tilt Architects in Berkeley, WA Design/ Build in Berkeley, and Michael Heacock Architects in Mill Valley.

Dovetail has a 5,300 square foot shop in Nevada City, CA with top quality craftsmen and top-of-line machinery to accomplish virtually any architectural design imaginable.  When desired, Tristan Newbon provides wood element design expertise for discerning clients.

Our Business Principles

Clear Communication

We take our commitment to open communication very seriously. We strive to return all your calls promptly. We make a concentrated effort to provide you with contracts that are detailed and specific in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.