diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 23719ae86..6e02f5b9a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@ all: extension
 #build columnar only
 columnar:
 	$(MAKE) -C src/backend/columnar all
-	cp $(citus_abs_srcdir)/src/backend/columnar/columnar.so $(citus_abs_srcdir)/src/backend/distributed/
-
+	cp $(citus_top_builddir)/src/backend/columnar/columnar.so $(citus_top_builddir)/src/backend/distributed/
 # build extension
 extension: $(citus_top_builddir)/src/include/citus_version.h columnar
 	$(MAKE) -C src/backend/distributed/ all
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@ install-headers: extension
 
 clean-extension:
 	$(MAKE) -C src/backend/distributed/ clean
-	rm -f $(citus_abs_srcdir)/src/backend/distributed/columnar.so
+	rm -f $(citus_top_builddir)/src/backend/distributed/columnar.so
 	$(MAKE) -C src/backend/columnar/ clean
 clean-full:
 	$(MAKE) -C src/backend/distributed/ clean-full
diff --git a/src/backend/columnar/Makefile b/src/backend/columnar/Makefile
index 7908c4e90..3f0933add 100644
--- a/src/backend/columnar/Makefile
+++ b/src/backend/columnar/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+citus_subdir = src/backend/columnar
 safestringlib_srcdir = $(citus_abs_top_srcdir)/vendor/safestringlib
-columnar_srcdir = $(citus_abs_top_srcdir)/src/backend/columnar
+columnar_srcdir = $(citus_subdir)/src/backend/columnar
 SUBDIRS = . safeclib
 SUBDIRS +=
 OBJS += \