diff --git a/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ConnectionOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ConnectionOptions.java
index 0ff2e517..375dc476 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ConnectionOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ConnectionOptions.java
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ public class ConnectionOptions {
     /**
      * See <a href="https://github.com/xebialabs/overthere/blob/master/README.md#directoryCopyCommandForUnix">the online documentation</a>
      */
-    public static final String DIRECTORY_COPY_COMMAND_FOR_UNIX_DEFAULT = "tar c -C {0} . | tar xm -C {1}";
+    public static final String DIRECTORY_COPY_COMMAND_FOR_UNIX_DEFAULT = "cd {1} ; tar -cf - -C {0} . | tar xpf -";
 
     /**
      * See <a href="https://github.com/xebialabs/overthere/blob/master/README.md#fileCopyCommandForWindows">the online documentation</a>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ssh/SshElevatedUserConnection.java b/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ssh/SshElevatedUserConnection.java
index 063427dd..197d2bd0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ssh/SshElevatedUserConnection.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/xebialabs/overthere/ssh/SshElevatedUserConnection.java
@@ -122,14 +122,21 @@ protected CmdLine processCommandLine(final CmdLine cmd) {
     @VisibleForTesting
     CmdLine prefixWithElevationCommand(final CmdLine commandLine) {
         CmdLine commandLineWithSudo = new CmdLine();
-        commandLineWithSudo.addTemplatedFragment(elevationCommandPrefix, elevatedUsername);
         if (quoteCommand) {
+            commandLineWithSudo.addTemplatedFragment(elevationCommandPrefix, elevatedUsername);
             commandLineWithSudo.addNested(commandLine);
         } else {
+            boolean shouldAddElevationCommand = true;
             for (CmdLineArgument a : commandLine.getArguments()) {
+                if(shouldAddElevationCommand && !a.toString(os, false).equals("cd")) {
+                    commandLineWithSudo.addTemplatedFragment(elevationCommandPrefix, elevatedUsername);
+                }
+                shouldAddElevationCommand = false;
+
                 commandLineWithSudo.add(a);
+
                 if (a.toString(os, false).equals("|") || a.toString(os, false).equals(";")) {
-                    commandLineWithSudo.addTemplatedFragment(elevationCommandPrefix, elevatedUsername);
+                    shouldAddElevationCommand = true;
                 }
             }
         }