diff --git a/include/package.mk b/include/package.mk
index 569ad647d6..015117bd3a 100644
--- a/include/package.mk
+++ b/include/package.mk
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ all: $(if $(DUMP),dumpinfo,$(if $(CHECK),check,compile))
 
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/download.mk
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR ?= $(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)$(if $(PKG_VERSION),-$(PKG_VERSION))
+PKG_BUILD_DIR ?= $(BUILD_DIR)/$(if $(BUILD_VARIANT),$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/)$(PKG_NAME)$(if $(PKG_VERSION),-$(PKG_VERSION))
 PKG_INSTALL_DIR ?= $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/ipkg-install
 PKG_BUILD_PARALLEL ?=
 PKG_USE_MIPS16 ?= 1
diff --git a/package/libs/ustream-ssl/Makefile b/package/libs/ustream-ssl/Makefile
index a15f3d8ab8..3b23d30b31 100644
--- a/package/libs/ustream-ssl/Makefile
+++ b/package/libs/ustream-ssl/Makefile
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ PKG_SOURCE_VERSION:=23a3f2830341acd1db149175baf7315a33bd0edb
 PKG_MIRROR_HASH:=289bef5dac684015b6a40cfd72cf1c8c297bb77cf2efd54e562b628ba3afd83d
 CMAKE_INSTALL:=1
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_SOURCE_SUBDIR)
-
 PKG_LICENSE:=ISC
 PKG_LICENSE_FILES:=
 
diff --git a/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile b/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
index 235f178bc9..05789dbe6b 100644
--- a/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
@@ -67,8 +67,6 @@ ifeq ($(LOCAL_VARIANT),mesh)
   CONFIG_VARIANT:=full
 endif
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
-
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package.mk
 
 STAMP_CONFIGURED:=$(STAMP_CONFIGURED)_$(CONFIG_WPA_MSG_MIN_PRIORITY)
diff --git a/package/network/services/odhcpd/Makefile b/package/network/services/odhcpd/Makefile
index a588af0ea6..83cfdd235b 100644
--- a/package/network/services/odhcpd/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/services/odhcpd/Makefile
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ PKG_MIRROR_HASH:=27a0802a01bc6334c6c602b71d8521a2472b82d2bf67be63ae380f56234b0fb
 PKG_MAINTAINER:=Hans Dedecker <dedeckeh@gmail.com>
 PKG_LICENSE:=GPL-2.0
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
-
 PKG_INSTALL:=1
 PKG_CONFIG_DEPENDS:=CONFIG_PACKAGE_odhcpd_$(BUILD_VARIANT)_ext_cer_id
 
diff --git a/package/network/services/openvpn/Makefile b/package/network/services/openvpn/Makefile
index f01b74d8aa..538be5d51d 100644
--- a/package/network/services/openvpn/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/services/openvpn/Makefile
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ PKG_SOURCE_URL:=\
 PKG_SOURCE:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION).tar.xz
 PKG_HASH:=a42f53570f669eaf10af68e98d65b531015ff9e12be7a62d9269ea684652f648
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
 PKG_MAINTAINER:=Felix Fietkau <nbd@nbd.name>
 
 PKG_INSTALL:=1
diff --git a/package/network/services/ppp/Makefile b/package/network/services/ppp/Makefile
index e4a90384d4..0e11a1bb60 100644
--- a/package/network/services/ppp/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/services/ppp/Makefile
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ PKG_CPE_ID:=cpe:/a:samba:ppp
 PKG_RELEASE_VERSION:=2.4.7
 PKG_VERSION:=$(PKG_RELEASE_VERSION).git-$(PKG_SOURCE_DATE)
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
+# set by kernel.mk
+undefine PKG_BUILD_DIR
 
 PKG_BUILD_DEPENDS:=libpcap
 
diff --git a/package/network/utils/iproute2/Makefile b/package/network/utils/iproute2/Makefile
index 8617a8ef2f..00f0f2ae1d 100644
--- a/package/network/utils/iproute2/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/utils/iproute2/Makefile
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ PKG_BUILD_DEPENDS:=iptables
 PKG_LICENSE:=GPL-2.0
 PKG_CPE_ID:=cpe:/a:iproute2_project:iproute2
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
-
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/kernel.mk
+# set by kernel.mk
+undefine PKG_BUILD_DIR
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package.mk
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/nls.mk
 
diff --git a/package/network/utils/iw/Makefile b/package/network/utils/iw/Makefile
index 58cf8319f5..64438a1931 100644
--- a/package/network/utils/iw/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/utils/iw/Makefile
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ PKG_SOURCE:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION).tar.xz
 PKG_SOURCE_URL:=@KERNEL/software/network/iw
 PKG_HASH:=1e38ea794a223525b2ea7fe78fd14f2a56121e62e21ba5f9dbe8c494b35b5c0d
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/iw-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
 PKG_MAINTAINER:=Felix Fietkau <nbd@nbd.name>
 PKG_LICENSE:=GPL-2.0
 
diff --git a/package/network/utils/tcpdump/Makefile b/package/network/utils/tcpdump/Makefile
index 712617fd25..74ef2cd204 100644
--- a/package/network/utils/tcpdump/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/utils/tcpdump/Makefile
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ PKG_SOURCE_URL:=http://www.us.tcpdump.org/release/ \
 	http://www.tcpdump.org/release/
 PKG_HASH:=798b3536a29832ce0cbb07fafb1ce5097c95e308a6f592d14052e1ef1505fe79
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
 PKG_BUILD_PARALLEL:=1
 
 PKG_MAINTAINER:=Felix Fietkau <nbd@nbd.name>
diff --git a/package/system/ucert/Makefile b/package/system/ucert/Makefile
index 0bcd89de89..6c1db9390d 100644
--- a/package/system/ucert/Makefile
+++ b/package/system/ucert/Makefile
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ PKG_LICENSE_FILES:=COPYING
 
 PKG_MAINTAINER:=Daniel Golle <daniel@makrotopia.org>
 
-PKG_BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(BUILD_VARIANT)/$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
-
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package.mk
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/host-build.mk
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/cmake.mk
diff --git a/package/utils/px5g/Makefile b/package/utils/px5g/Makefile
index 7b5748425d..592d19663d 100644
--- a/package/utils/px5g/Makefile
+++ b/package/utils/px5g/Makefile
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
 PKG_NAME:=px5g
 PKG_RELEASE:=8
 PKG_LICENSE:=LGPL-2.1
-PKG_BUILD_DIR:=$(BUILD_DIR)/px5g-$(BUILD_VARIANT)
 
 PKG_USE_MIPS16:=0
 
