diff --git a/bits_helpers/build.py b/bits_helpers/build.py
index 33117772..cff5025e 100644
--- a/bits_helpers/build.py
+++ b/bits_helpers/build.py
@@ -950,8 +950,18 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
       spec["hash"] = spec["local_revision_hash"]
     else:
       spec["hash"] = spec["remote_revision_hash"]
+
+    # We do not use the override for devel packages, because we
+    # want to avoid having to rebuild things when the /tmp gets cleaned.
+    if spec["is_devel_pkg"]:
+        buildWorkDir = args.workDir
+    else:
+        buildWorkDir = os.environ.get("BITS_BUILD_WORK_DIR", args.workDir)
+
+    buildRoot = join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD", spec["hash"])
+
     spec["old_devel_hash"] = readHashFile(join(
-      workDir, "BUILD", spec["hash"], spec["package"], ".build_succeeded"))
+      buildRoot, spec["package"], ".build_succeeded"))
 
     # Recreate symlinks to this development package builds.
     if spec["is_devel_pkg"]:
@@ -959,9 +969,9 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
       # Ignore errors here, because the path we're linking to might not exist
       # (if this is the first run through the loop). On the second run
       # through, the path should have been created by the build process.
-      call_ignoring_oserrors(symlink, spec["hash"], join(workDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest"))
+      call_ignoring_oserrors(symlink, spec["hash"], join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest"))
       if develPrefix:
-        call_ignoring_oserrors(symlink, spec["hash"], join(workDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest-" + develPrefix))
+        call_ignoring_oserrors(symlink, spec["hash"], join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest-" + develPrefix))
       # Last package built gets a "latest" mark.
       call_ignoring_oserrors(symlink, "{version}-{revision}".format(**spec),
                              join(workDir, args.architecture, spec["package"], "latest"))
@@ -1013,7 +1023,7 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
       # assuming the package is not a development one. We also can
       # delete the SOURCES in case we have aggressive-cleanup enabled.
       if not spec["is_devel_pkg"] and args.autoCleanup:
-        cleanupDirs = [join(workDir, "BUILD", spec["hash"]),
+        cleanupDirs = [buildRoot,
                        join(workDir, "INSTALLROOT", spec["hash"])]
         if args.aggressiveCleanup:
           cleanupDirs.append(join(workDir, "SOURCES", spec["package"]))
@@ -1022,13 +1032,13 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
         for d in cleanupDirs:
           shutil.rmtree(d.encode("utf8"), True)
         try:
-          unlink(join(workDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest"))
+          unlink(join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest"))
           if "develPrefix" in args:
-            unlink(join(workDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest-" + args.develPrefix))
+            unlink(join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD", spec["package"] + "-latest-" + args.develPrefix))
         except:
           pass
         try:
-          rmdir(join(workDir, "BUILD"))
+          rmdir(join(buildWorkDir, "BUILD"))
           rmdir(join(workDir, "INSTALLROOT"))
         except:
           pass
@@ -1241,28 +1251,28 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
       if spec["is_devel_pkg"]:
         updatablePkgs.append(spec["package"])
 
-      buildErrMsg = dedent("""\
-      Error while executing {sd}/build.sh on `{h}'.
-      Log can be found in {w}/BUILD/{p}-latest{devSuffix}/log
-      Please upload it to CERNBox/Dropbox if you intend to request support.
-      Build directory is {w}/BUILD/{p}-latest{devSuffix}/{p}.
-      """).format(
-        h=socket.gethostname(),
-        sd=scriptDir,
-        w=abspath(args.workDir),
-        p=spec["package"],
-        devSuffix="-" + args.develPrefix
-        if "develPrefix" in args and spec["is_devel_pkg"]
-        else "",
-      )
-      if updatablePkgs:
-        buildErrMsg += dedent("""
-        Note that you have packages in development mode.
-        Devel sources are not updated automatically, you must do it by hand.\n
-        This problem might be due to one or more outdated devel sources.
-        To update all development packages required for this build it is usually sufficient to do:
-        """)
-        buildErrMsg += "".join("\n  ( cd %s && git pull --rebase )" % dp for dp in updatablePkgs)
+    buildErrMsg = dedent("""\
+    Error while executing {sd}/build.sh on `{h}'.
+    Log can be found in {w}/BUILD/{p}-latest{devSuffix}/log
+    Please upload it to CERNBox/Dropbox if you intend to request support.
+    Build directory is {w}/BUILD/{p}-latest{devSuffix}/{p}.
+    """).format(
+      h=socket.gethostname(),
+      sd=scriptDir,
+      w=buildWorkDir,
+      p=spec["package"],
+      devSuffix="-" + args.develPrefix
+      if "develPrefix" in args and spec["is_devel_pkg"]
+      else "",
+    )
+    if updatablePkgs:
+      buildErrMsg += dedent("""
+      Note that you have packages in development mode.
+      Devel sources are not updated automatically, you must do it by hand.\n
+      This problem might be due to one or more outdated devel sources.
+      To update all development packages required for this build it is usually sufficient to do:
+      """)
+      buildErrMsg += "".join("\n  ( cd %s && git pull --rebase )" % dp for dp in updatablePkgs)
 
       # Gather build info for the error message
       try:
@@ -1317,7 +1327,7 @@ def performPreferCheckWithTempDir(pkg, cmd):
   for spec in specs.values():
     if spec["is_devel_pkg"]:
       banner("Build directory for devel package %s:\n%s/BUILD/%s-latest%s/%s",
-             spec["package"], abspath(args.workDir), spec["package"],
+             spec["package"], abspath(buildWorkDir), spec["package"],
              ("-" + args.develPrefix) if "develPrefix" in args else "",
              spec["package"])
   if untrackedFilesDirectories:
diff --git a/bits_helpers/build_template.sh b/bits_helpers/build_template.sh
index 190fc222..74e5f461 100644
--- a/bits_helpers/build_template.sh
+++ b/bits_helpers/build_template.sh
@@ -53,16 +53,19 @@ export PKG_BUILDNUM="$PKGREVISION"
 export PKGPATH=${ARCHITECTURE}/${PKGNAME}/${PKGVERSION}-${PKGREVISION}
 mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/BUILD" "$WORK_DIR/SOURCES" "$WORK_DIR/TARS" \
          "$WORK_DIR/SPECS" "$WORK_DIR/INSTALLROOT"
-export BUILDROOT="$WORK_DIR/BUILD/$PKGHASH"
-
 # If we are in development mode, then install directly in $WORK_DIR/$PKGPATH,
 # so that we can do "make install" directly into BUILD/$PKGPATH and have
 # changes being propagated.
+# Moreover, devel packages should always go in the official WORK_DIR
 if [ -n "$DEVEL_HASH" ]; then
+  export BITS_BUILD_WORK_DIR="${WORK_DIR}"
   export INSTALLROOT="$WORK_DIR/$PKGPATH"
 else
   export INSTALLROOT="$WORK_DIR/INSTALLROOT/$PKGHASH/$PKGPATH"
+  export BITS_BUILD_WORK_DIR="${BITS_BUILD_WORK_DIR:-$WORK_DIR}"
 fi
+
+export BUILDROOT="$BITS_BUILD_WORK_DIR/BUILD/$PKGHASH"
 export SOURCEDIR="$WORK_DIR/SOURCES/$PKGNAME/$PKGVERSION/$COMMIT_HASH"
 export BUILDDIR="$BUILDROOT/$PKGNAME"
 
@@ -109,9 +112,9 @@ unset DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
 EOF
 
 cd "$BUILDROOT"
-ln -snf $PKGHASH $WORK_DIR/BUILD/$PKGNAME-latest
+ln -snf $PKGHASH "${BUILDROOT}-latest"
 if [[ $DEVEL_PREFIX ]]; then
-  ln -snf $PKGHASH $WORK_DIR/BUILD/$PKGNAME-latest-$DEVEL_PREFIX
+  ln -snf $PKGHASH "${BUILDROOT}-latest-$DEVEL_PREFIX"
 fi
 
 cd "$BUILDDIR"