diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 387ba0c247fd10f1bb388a7887c98ed527f48d0a..12b8627023974ba044a7e94305edf944822fe296 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -12,3 +12,5 @@ MANIFEST
 test/ParaViewTrace*.pvs
 dist
 *~
+Makefile
+siteconf.py
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..98cc4606f93c586d6c39ba2981c7b573cfbc5054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+all:
+	${PYTHON_EXE} setup.py build
+
+install:
+	${PYTHON_EXE} setup.py install
diff --git a/configure b/configure
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..88c9647f6e6b1690d1b4efb701f0f36bd0f88bd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configure
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env python
+
+
+
+
+
+def var_to_option(caps_name):
+    return "--" + caps_name.lower().replace("_", "-")
+
+
+
+
+def var_kind(caps_name):
+    last_underscore = caps_name.rfind("_")
+    return caps_name[last_underscore+1:]
+
+
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    from optparse import OptionParser
+
+    execfile("configvars.py")
+
+    description = "generate a siteconf.py file for this software package"
+    parser = OptionParser(description=description)
+    parser.add_option(
+	    "--python-exe", dest="python_exe", default="python",
+	    help="Which Python interpreter to use", metavar="PATH")
+
+    for var, default, help in vars:
+        option = var_to_option
+
+        if default:
+          help += " (default: %s)" % default
+        parser.add_option(
+            var_to_option(var), dest=var.lower(), default=default,
+            metavar=var_kind(var), help=help)
+
+    parser.add_option("--prefix", default=None,
+	    help="Ignored")
+    parser.add_option("--enable-shared", help="Ignored", action="store_false")
+    parser.add_option("--disable-static", help="Ignored", action="store_false")
+
+    options, args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    substitutions = {
+        "PYTHON_EXE": options.python_exe
+        }
+
+    for var, default, help in vars:
+        substitutions[var] = getattr(options, var.lower())
+
+    import re
+    var_re = re.compile(r"\$\{([A-Za-z_0-9]+)\}")
+    string_var_re = re.compile(r"\$str\{([A-Za-z_0-9]+)\}")
+    for fname in subst_files:
+        lines = open(fname+".in", "r").readlines()
+        new_lines = []
+        for l in lines:
+            made_change = True
+            while made_change:
+                made_change = False
+                match = var_re.search(l)
+                if match:
+                    varname = match.group(1)
+                    l = l[:match.start()] + substitutions[varname] + l[match.end():]
+                    made_change = True
+
+                match = string_var_re.search(l)
+                if match:
+                    varname = match.group(1)
+                    subst = substitutions[varname]
+                    if subst is None:
+                        subst = ""
+                    else:
+                        subst = '"%s"' % subst
+
+                    l = l[:match.start()] + subst  + l[match.end():]
+                    made_change = True
+            new_lines.append(l)
+
+        file(fname, "w").write("".join(new_lines))
diff --git a/configvars.py b/configvars.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0a2a0f0782684ea2142bfe711603cbc40a1827ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configvars.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+vars = [
+    ("BOOST_INC_DIR", None,
+        "The include directory for all of Boost C++"),
+    ("BOOST_LIB_DIR", None,
+        "The library directory for all of Boost C++"),
+    ("BOOST_PYTHON_LIBNAME", "boost_python-gcc41-mt",
+        "The name of the Boost Python library binary (without lib and .so)"),
+    ("CXXFLAGS", None,
+        "Any extra C++ compiler options to include"),
+    ]
+
+subst_files = ["Makefile", "siteconf.py"]
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 92246124df795eca7a557407487ef7903b7c6069..debfc38278671dd330f9c2976a8264924236f39b 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,13 +1,27 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
-import os
+import sys
+
+try:
+    execfile("siteconf.py")
+except IOError:
+    print "*** Please run configure first."
+    sys.exit(1)
+
 from distutils.core import setup,Extension
 
-home = os.getenv("HOME")
-boost_path = "%s/pool/include/boost-1_34" % home
-include_dirs = [boost_path, "src"]
-library_dirs = ["%s/pool/lib" % home]
-libraries = ["boost_python-gcc41-mt"]
+def non_matching_config():
+    print "*** The version of your configuration template does not match"
+    print "*** the version of the setup script. Please re-run configure."
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+try:
+    MESHPY_CONF_TEMPLATE_VERSION
+except NameError:
+    non_matching_config()
+
+if MESHPY_CONF_TEMPLATE_VERSION != 1:
+    non_matching_config()
 
 triangle_macros = [
   ( "EXTERNAL_TEST", 1 ),
@@ -20,7 +34,9 @@ tetgen_macros = [
   ( "SELF_CHECK", 1 ) ,
   ]
 
-
+INCLUDE_DIRS = BOOST_INCLUDE_DIRS
+LIBRARY_DIRS = BOOST_LIBRARY_DIRS
+LIBRARIES = BPL_LIBRARIES
 
 execfile("meshpy/__init__.py")
 setup(name="MeshPy",
@@ -35,17 +51,17 @@ setup(name="MeshPy",
         Extension(
           "meshpy._triangle", 
           ["src/wrap_triangle.cpp","src/triangle.c"],
-          include_dirs = include_dirs,
-          library_dirs = library_dirs,
-          libraries = libraries,
+          include_dirs=INCLUDE_DIRS,
+          library_dirs=LIBRARY_DIRS,
+          libraries=LIBRARIES,
           define_macros=triangle_macros
           ),
         Extension(
           "meshpy._tetgen", 
           ["src/tetgen.cpp", "src/predicates.cpp", "src/wrap_tetgen.cpp"],
-          include_dirs = include_dirs,
-          library_dirs = library_dirs,
-          libraries = libraries,
+          include_dirs=INCLUDE_DIRS,
+          library_dirs=LIBRARY_DIRS,
+          libraries=LIBRARIES,
           define_macros=tetgen_macros
           ),
         ]
diff --git a/siteconf.py.in b/siteconf.py.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..907f049950d4adf08b003ee185a5e08372283b9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/siteconf.py.in
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Specify your configuration below.
+# See documentation for hints.
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+MESHPY_CONF_TEMPLATE_VERSION = 1
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Path options
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+BOOST_INCLUDE_DIRS = [$str{BOOST_INC_DIR}]
+BOOST_LIBRARY_DIRS = [$str{BOOST_LIB_DIR}] 
+BPL_LIBRARIES = [$str{BOOST_PYTHON_LIBNAME}]
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Compiler flags
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+EXTRA_COMPILE_ARGS = [$str{CXXFLAGS}]
+