diff --git a/cmake/Modules/FindERT.cmake b/cmake/Modules/FindERT.cmake
index e911703d..87bf3e76 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/FindERT.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/FindERT.cmake
@@ -20,6 +20,14 @@ else (FIND_QUIETLY)
   set (ERT_QUIET "")
 endif (FIND_QUIETLY)
 
+# if a directory has been specified by the user, then don't go look
+# in the system directories as well
+if (ERT_ROOT)
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
+else (ERT_ROOT)
+  set (_no_default_path "")
+endif (ERT_ROOT)
+
 # ERT doesn't have any config-mode file, so we need to specify the root
 # directory in its own variable
 find_path (ERT_ECL_INCLUDE_DIR
@@ -28,6 +36,7 @@ find_path (ERT_ECL_INCLUDE_DIR
   PATHS "../ert"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "devel/libecl/include/" "include"
   DOC "Path to ERT Eclipse library header files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 find_path (ERT_UTIL_INCLUDE_DIR
   NAMES "ert/util/stringlist.h"
@@ -35,6 +44,7 @@ find_path (ERT_UTIL_INCLUDE_DIR
   PATHS "../ert"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "devel/libert_util/include/" "include"
   DOC "Path to ERT Eclipse library header files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 find_path (ERT_GEN_INCLUDE_DIR
   NAMES "ert/util/int_vector.h"
@@ -43,6 +53,7 @@ find_path (ERT_GEN_INCLUDE_DIR
         "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/../ert/devel"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "libert_util/include/" "include"
   DOC "Path to ERT generated library header files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 
 # need all of these libraries
@@ -56,6 +67,7 @@ find_library (ERT_LIBRARY_ECL
         "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/../ert/devel"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}"
   DOC "Path to ERT Eclipse library archive/shared object files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 find_library (ERT_LIBRARY_GEOMETRY
   NAMES "ert_geometry"
@@ -64,6 +76,7 @@ find_library (ERT_LIBRARY_GEOMETRY
         "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/../ert/devel"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}"
   DOC "Path to ERT Geometry library archive/shared object files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 find_library (ERT_LIBRARY_UTIL
   NAMES "ert_util"
@@ -72,6 +85,7 @@ find_library (ERT_LIBRARY_UTIL
         "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/../ert/devel"
   PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}"
   DOC "Path to ERT Utilities library archive/shared object files"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 # the "library" found here is actually a list of several files
 list (APPEND ERT_INCLUDE_DIR
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/FindSuiteSparse.cmake b/cmake/Modules/FindSuiteSparse.cmake
index 845571f5..11894218 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/FindSuiteSparse.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/FindSuiteSparse.cmake
@@ -77,22 +77,30 @@ set (SuiteSparse_EXTRA_LIBS ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES} ${BLAS_LIBRARIES} ${MATH_LIBRARY
 list (APPEND SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "/usr")              # Linux
 list (APPEND SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "/opt/local")        # MacOS X
 
+# if we don't get any further clues about where to look, then start
+# roaming around the system
+set (_no_default_path "")
+
 # pick up paths from the environment if specified there; these replace the
 # pre-defined paths so that we don't accidentially pick up old stuff
 if (NOT $ENV{SuiteSparse_DIR} STREQUAL "")
   set (SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "$ENV{SuiteSparse_DIR}")
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
 endif (NOT $ENV{SuiteSparse_DIR} STREQUAL "")
 if (${SuiteSparse_DIR})
   set (SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "${SuiteSparse_DIR}")
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
 endif (${SuiteSparse_DIR})
 # CMake uses _DIR suffix as default for config-mode files; it is unlikely
 # that we are building SuiteSparse ourselves; use _ROOT suffix to specify
 # location to pre-canned binaries
 if (NOT $ENV{SuiteSparse_ROOT} STREQUAL "")
   set (SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "$ENV{SuiteSparse_ROOT}")
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
 endif (NOT $ENV{SuiteSparse_ROOT} STREQUAL "")
 if (${SuiteSparse_ROOT})
   set (SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH "${SuiteSparse_ROOT}")
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
 endif (${SuiteSparse_ROOT})
 
 # transitive closure of dependencies; after this SuiteSparse_MODULES is the
@@ -135,6 +143,7 @@ find_library (config_LIBRARY
   NAMES suitesparseconfig
   PATHS ${SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH}
   PATH_SUFFIXES ".libs" "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}" "lib/ufsparse"
+  ${_no_default_path}
   )
 if (config_LIBRARY)
   list (APPEND SuiteSparse_EXTRA_LIBS ${config_LIBRARY})
@@ -153,11 +162,13 @@ foreach (module IN LISTS SuiteSparse_MODULES)
 	NAMES ${module}.h
 	PATHS ${SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH}
 	PATH_SUFFIXES "include" "include/suitesparse" "include/ufsparse"
+	${_no_default_path}
 	)
   find_library (${MODULE}_LIBRARY
 	NAMES ${module}
 	PATHS ${SuiteSparse_SEARCH_PATH}
 	PATH_SUFFIXES "lib/.libs" "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}" "lib/ufsparse"
+	${_no_default_path}
 	)
   # start out by including the module itself; other dependencies will be added later
   set (${MODULE}_INCLUDE_DIRS ${${MODULE}_INCLUDE_DIR})
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/FindSuperLU.cmake b/cmake/Modules/FindSuperLU.cmake
index b51086a1..ab9d513d 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/FindSuperLU.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/FindSuperLU.cmake
@@ -35,18 +35,20 @@ if(NOT BLAS_FOUND)
   return()
 endif(NOT BLAS_FOUND)
 
-# look for header files, only at positions given by the user
+# look for files only at the positions given by the user if
+# an explicit path is specified
+if (SUPERLU_PREFIX OR SUPERLU_ROOT)
+  set (_no_default_path "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
+else (SUPERLU_PREFIX OR SUPERLU_ROOT)
+  set (_no_default_path "")
+endif (SUPERLU_PREFIX OR SUPERLU_ROOT)
+
+# look for header files
 find_path(SUPERLU_INCLUDE_DIR
   NAMES supermatrix.h
   PATHS ${SUPERLU_PREFIX} ${SUPERLU_ROOT}
   PATH_SUFFIXES "superlu" "include/superlu" "include" "SRC"
-  NO_DEFAULT_PATH
-)
-
-# look for header files, including default paths
-find_path(SUPERLU_INCLUDE_DIR
-  NAMES supermatrix.h
-  PATH_SUFFIXES "superlu" "include/superlu" "include" "SRC"
+  ${_no_default_path}
 )
 
 # only search in architecture-relevant directory
@@ -54,18 +56,12 @@ if (CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P)
   math (EXPR _BITS "8 * ${CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P}")
 endif (CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P)
 
-# look for library, only at positions given by the user
+# look for library
 find_library(SUPERLU_LIBRARY
   NAMES "superlu_4.3" "superlu_4.2" "superlu_4.1" "superlu_4.0" "superlu_3.1" "superlu_3.0" "superlu"
   PATHS ${SUPERLU_PREFIX} ${SUPERLU_ROOT}
   PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}"
-  NO_DEFAULT_PATH
-)
-
-# look for library files, including default paths
-find_library(SUPERLU_LIBRARY
-  NAMES "superlu_4.3" "superlu_4.2" "superlu_4.1" "superlu_4.0" "superlu_3.1" "superlu_3.0" "superlu"
-  PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}"
+  ${_no_default_path}
 )
 
 # check version specific macros
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/OpmPackage.cmake b/cmake/Modules/OpmPackage.cmake
index 649402f1..b3413cc7 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/OpmPackage.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/OpmPackage.cmake
@@ -97,6 +97,29 @@ macro (find_opm_package module deps header lib defs prog conf)
 	foreach (_item IN ITEMS ${_guess} ${_guess_bin_only})
 	  list (APPEND _guess_bin "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/${_item}")
 	endforeach (_item)
+	set (_no_system "")
+  else (NOT (${module}_DIR OR ${module}_ROOT OR ${MODULE}_ROOT))
+	# start looking at the paths in this order
+	set (_guess_bin
+	  ${${module}_DIR}
+	  ${${module}_ROOT}
+	  ${${MODULE}_ROOT}
+	  )
+	# when we look for the source, it may be that we have been specified
+	# a build directory which is a sub-dir of the source, so we look in
+	# the parent also
+	set (_guess
+	  ${${module}_DIR}
+	  ${${module}_ROOT}
+	  ${${MODULE}_ROOT}
+	  ${${module}_DIR}/..
+	  ${${module}_ROOT}/..
+	  ${${MODULE}_ROOT}/..
+	  )
+	# don't search the system paths! that would be dangerous; if there
+	# is a problem in our own specified directory, we don't necessarily
+	# want an old version that is left in one of the system paths!
+	set (_no_system "NO_DEFAULT_PATH")
   endif (NOT (${module}_DIR OR ${module}_ROOT OR ${MODULE}_ROOT))
 
   # search for this include and library file to get the installation
@@ -105,8 +128,9 @@ macro (find_opm_package module deps header lib defs prog conf)
   find_path (${module}_INCLUDE_DIR
 	NAMES "${header}"
 	PATHS ${_guess}
-	HINTS ${${module}_DIR} ${${module}_ROOT} ${${MODULE}_ROOT} ${PkgConf_${module}_INCLUDE_DIRS}
+	HINTS ${PkgConf_${module}_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 	PATH_SUFFIXES "include"
+	${_no_system}
 	)
 
   # some modules are all in headers
@@ -117,8 +141,9 @@ macro (find_opm_package module deps header lib defs prog conf)
 	find_library (${module}_LIBRARY
 	  NAMES "${lib}"
 	  PATHS ${_guess_bin}
-	  HINTS ${${module}_DIR} ${${module}_ROOT} ${${MODULE}_ROOT} ${PkgConf_${module}_LIBRARY_DIRS}
+	  HINTS ${PkgConf_${module}_LIBRARY_DIRS}
 	  PATH_SUFFIXES "lib" "lib/.libs" ".libs" "lib${_BITS}" "lib/${CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE}" "build-cmake/lib"
+	  ${_no_system}
 	  )
   else (NOT "${lib}" STREQUAL "")
 	set (${module}_LIBRARY "")