diff --git a/README b/README
index ee6f604..da9d43d 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ Before first build install dependencies run `./install-dependencies.sh` to insta
 This need to be run only once.
 Then run `./build-soft-stable.sh` or `./build-soft-latest.sh`
 
+By default it clone sources to $HOME/astro-soft or $HOME/astro-soft-stable directory. You can change that by setting
+BUILD_DIR variable before. For example `BUILD_DIR="/home/username/I want to build here" ./build-soft-stable.sh`
+
 Stable install last stable version and it is recomended to use. Latest will build bleeding edge version from repository
 which sometimes can fail to build or can be unstable.
 
diff --git a/build-soft-latest.sh b/build-soft-latest.sh
index c0f0706..9c4481f 100755
--- a/build-soft-latest.sh
+++ b/build-soft-latest.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ export CFLAGS="-march=native -w -Wno-psabi -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64"
 export CXXFLAGS="-march=native -w -Wno-psabi -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64"
 
 CHECKOUT=0
-ROOTDIR="$HOME/astro-soft"
+# you can set custom BUILD_DIR
+BUILD_DIR=${BUILD_DIR:-$HOME}
+ROOTDIR="$BUILD_DIR/astro-soft"
 
 JOBS=$(grep -c ^processor /proc/cpuinfo)
 # 64 bit systems need more memory for compilation
@@ -14,7 +16,7 @@ then
 	JOBS=2
 fi
 
-[ ! -d "$ROOTDIR" ] && mkdir $ROOTDIR
+[ ! -d "$ROOTDIR" ] && mkdir -p "$ROOTDIR"
 cd "$ROOTDIR"
 
 [ ! -d "libXISF" ] && git clone https://gitea.nouspiro.space/nou/libXISF.git
diff --git a/build-soft-stable.sh b/build-soft-stable.sh
index e37f9b7..95028a1 100755
--- a/build-soft-stable.sh
+++ b/build-soft-stable.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ INDI_3RD_COMMIT="v2.0.6"
 STELLAR_COMMIT="e415e51d99224f239c24634519c030ef60969723"
 KSTARS_COMMIT="origin/stable-3.6.9"
 
-ROOTDIR="$HOME/astro-soft-stable"
+# you can set custom BUILD_DIR
+BUILD_DIR=${BUILD_DIR:-$HOME}
+ROOTDIR="$BUILD_DIR/astro-soft-stable"
 
 JOBS=$(grep -c ^processor /proc/cpuinfo)
 
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ then
 	JOBS=2
 fi
 
-[ ! -d "$ROOTDIR" ] && mkdir $ROOTDIR
+[ ! -d "$ROOTDIR" ] && mkdir -p "$ROOTDIR"
 cd "$ROOTDIR"
 
 [ ! -d "libXISF" ] && git clone https://gitea.nouspiro.space/nou/libXISF.git