diff --git a/Make.inc b/Make.inc
index 5789cd746d7e7..e1c5e738a2bb8 100644
--- a/Make.inc
+++ b/Make.inc
@@ -501,6 +501,12 @@ else
 build_shlibdir := $(build_libdir)
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(OS), FreeBSD)
+LOCALBASE ?= /usr/local
+else
+LOCALBASE ?= /usr
+endif
+
 ifeq (exists, $(shell [ -e $(JULIAHOME)/Make.user ] && echo exists ))
 include $(JULIAHOME)/Make.user
 endif
@@ -837,8 +843,8 @@ LIBMNAME := libopenlibm
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(USE_SYSTEM_LIBUV), 1)
-  LIBUV := /usr/lib/libuv-julia.a
-  LIBUV_INC := /usr/include
+  LIBUV := $(LOCALBASE)/lib/libuv-julia.a
+  LIBUV_INC := $(LOCALBASE)/include
 else
   LIBUV := $(build_libdir)/libuv.a
   LIBUV_INC := $(build_includedir)
@@ -846,7 +852,7 @@ endif
 
 ifeq ($(USE_SYSTEM_UTF8PROC), 1)
   LIBUTF8PROC := -lutf8proc
-  UTF8PROC_INC := /usr/include
+  UTF8PROC_INC := $(LOCALBASE)/include
 else
   LIBUTF8PROC := $(build_libdir)/libutf8proc.a
   UTF8PROC_INC := $(build_includedir)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 43e19ece0f37e..a89a0e14313ba 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 </div>
 
 Linux, OSX: [![Build Status](https://api.travis-ci.org/JuliaLang/julia.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/JuliaLang/julia)
-
+ 
 Windows: [![Build status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/dvial98s5vi6ealt/branch/master?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/JuliaLang/julia/branch/master)
 
 Code Coverage: [![Coverage Status](https://coveralls.io/repos/JuliaLang/julia/badge.svg?branch=master)](https://coveralls.io/r/JuliaLang/julia?branch=master) [![codecov.io](http://codecov.io/github/JuliaLang/julia/coverage.svg?branch=master)](http://codecov.io/github/JuliaLang/julia?branch=master)
diff --git a/deps/suitesparse.mk b/deps/suitesparse.mk
index c861327b7f03c..90b237628175e 100644
--- a/deps/suitesparse.mk
+++ b/deps/suitesparse.mk
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ install-suitesparse: $(build_prefix)/manifest/suitesparse install-suitesparse-wr
 # SUITESPARSE WRAPPER
 
 ifeq ($(USE_SYSTEM_SUITESPARSE), 1)
-SUITESPARSE_INC := -I /usr/include/suitesparse
+SUITESPARSE_INC := -I $(LOCALBASE)/include/suitesparse
 SUITESPARSE_LIB := -lumfpack -lcholmod -lamd -lcamd -lcolamd -lspqr
 else
 SUITESPARSE_INC := -I $(BUILDDIR)/SuiteSparse-$(SUITESPARSE_VER)/CHOLMOD/Include -I $(BUILDDIR)/SuiteSparse-$(SUITESPARSE_VER)/SuiteSparse_config -I $(BUILDDIR)/SuiteSparse-$(SUITESPARSE_VER)/SPQR/Include
diff --git a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
index a6bc4b4f5a5f7..60d9c8a05a665 100644
--- a/src/Makefile
+++ b/src/Makefile
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ else
 FLAGS += -DJL_BUILD_UNAME='"$(OS)"'
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(OS),FreeBSD)
+FLAGS += -I$(LOCALBASE)/include
+endif
+
 SRCS := \
 	jltypes gf typemap ast builtins module interpreter symbol \
 	dlload sys init task array dump toplevel jl_uv datatype \