diff --git a/sphinx/application.py b/sphinx/application.py
index d05a399cb..638bcdf49 100644
--- a/sphinx/application.py
+++ b/sphinx/application.py
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ class Sphinx(object):
         self._additional_source_parsers = {}    # type: Dict[unicode, Parser]
         self._setting_up_extension = ['?']      # type: List[unicode]
         self.domains = {}                       # type: Dict[unicode, Type[Domain]]
-        self.buildername = buildername
         self.builderclasses = {}                # type: Dict[unicode, Type[Builder]]
         self.builder = None                     # type: Builder
         self.env = None                         # type: BuildEnvironment
@@ -241,6 +240,8 @@ class Sphinx(object):
             logger.warning(_('primary_domain %r not found, ignored.'),
                            self.config.primary_domain)
 
+        # create the builder
+        self.builder = self.create_builder(buildername)
         # check all configuration values for permissible types
         self.config.check_types()
         # set up source_parsers
@@ -248,7 +249,7 @@ class Sphinx(object):
         # set up the build environment
         self._init_env(freshenv)
         # set up the builder
-        self._init_builder(self.buildername)
+        self._init_builder()
         # set up the enumerable nodes
         self._init_enumerable_nodes()
 
@@ -290,7 +291,7 @@ class Sphinx(object):
         # type: (bool) -> None
         if freshenv:
             self.env = BuildEnvironment(self)
-            self.env.find_files(self.config, self.buildername)
+            self.env.find_files(self.config, self.builder.name)
             for domain in self.domains.keys():
                 self.env.domains[domain] = self.domains[domain](self.env)
         else:
@@ -310,8 +311,8 @@ class Sphinx(object):
                     logger.info(_('failed: %s'), err)
                 self._init_env(freshenv=True)
 
-    def _init_builder(self, buildername):
-        # type: (unicode) -> None
+    def create_builder(self, buildername):
+        # type: (unicode) -> Builder
         if buildername is None:
             logger.info(_('No builder selected, using default: html'))
             buildername = 'html'
@@ -319,7 +320,12 @@ class Sphinx(object):
             raise SphinxError(_('Builder name %s not registered') % buildername)
 
         builderclass = self.builderclasses[buildername]
-        self.builder = builderclass(self)
+        return builderclass(self)
+
+    def _init_builder(self):
+        # type: () -> None
+        self.builder.set_environment(self.env)
+        self.builder.init()
         self.emit('builder-inited')
 
     def _init_enumerable_nodes(self):
@@ -327,6 +333,12 @@ class Sphinx(object):
         for node, settings in iteritems(self.enumerable_nodes):
             self.env.get_domain('std').enumerable_nodes[node] = settings  # type: ignore
 
+    @property
+    def buildername(self):
+        # type: () -> unicode
+        warnings.warn('app.buildername is deprecated.', RemovedInSphinx17Warning)
+        return self.builder.name
+
     # ---- main "build" method -------------------------------------------------
 
     def build(self, force_all=False, filenames=None):
diff --git a/sphinx/builders/__init__.py b/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
index 2b7964022..171246162 100644
--- a/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
+++ b/sphinx/builders/__init__.py
@@ -60,9 +60,6 @@ class Builder(object):
 
     def __init__(self, app):
         # type: (Sphinx) -> None
-        self.env = app.env          # type: BuildEnvironment
-        self.env.set_versioning_method(self.versioning_method,
-                                       self.versioning_compare)
         self.srcdir = app.srcdir
         self.confdir = app.confdir
         self.outdir = app.outdir
@@ -71,6 +68,7 @@ class Builder(object):
             os.makedirs(self.doctreedir)
 
         self.app = app              # type: Sphinx
+        self.env = None             # type: BuildEnvironment
         self.warn = app.warn        # type: Callable
         self.info = app.info        # type: Callable
         self.config = app.config    # type: Config
@@ -97,7 +95,12 @@ class Builder(object):
         # load default translator class
         self.translator_class = app._translators.get(self.name)
 
-        self.init()
+    def set_environment(self, env):
+        # type: (BuildEnvironment) -> None
+        """Store BuildEnvironment object."""
+        self.env = env
+        self.env.set_versioning_method(self.versioning_method,
+                                       self.versioning_compare)
 
     # helper methods
     def init(self):
diff --git a/sphinx/builders/gettext.py b/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
index a1eb5bae4..f63288a99 100644
--- a/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
+++ b/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
@@ -114,14 +114,11 @@ class I18nBuilder(Builder):
     versioning_method = 'text'
     versioning_compare = None  # be set by `gettext_uuid`
 
-    def __init__(self, app):
-        # type: (Sphinx) -> None
-        self.versioning_compare = app.env.config.gettext_uuid
-        super(I18nBuilder, self).__init__(app)
-
     def init(self):
         # type: () -> None
         Builder.init(self)
+        self.env.set_versioning_method(self.versioning_method,
+                                       self.env.config.gettext_uuid)
         self.tags = I18nTags()
         self.catalogs = defaultdict(Catalog)  # type: defaultdict[unicode, Catalog]
 
diff --git a/tests/test_environment.py b/tests/test_environment.py
index f638bd1e4..8cfd26e1a 100644
--- a/tests/test_environment.py
+++ b/tests/test_environment.py
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ def test_images():
 
     tree = env.get_doctree('images')
     htmlbuilder = StandaloneHTMLBuilder(app)
+    htmlbuilder.set_environment(app.env)
+    htmlbuilder.init()
     htmlbuilder.imgpath = 'dummy'
     htmlbuilder.post_process_images(tree)
     assert set(htmlbuilder.images.keys()) == \
@@ -54,6 +56,8 @@ def test_images():
         set(['img.png', 'img1.png', 'simg.png', 'svgimg.svg', 'img.foo.png'])
 
     latexbuilder = LaTeXBuilder(app)
+    latexbuilder.set_environment(app.env)
+    latexbuilder.init()
     latexbuilder.post_process_images(tree)
     assert set(latexbuilder.images.keys()) == \
         set(['subdir/img.png', 'subdir/simg.png', 'img.png', 'img.pdf',