diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4c03561..15a99aa 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
+/build/
 /compat-autoconf.h
 /compat-autoconf.h.tmp
 /compat-sources/**/.*
 /compat-sources/**/*.o
-/net/batman-adv/.*
-/net/batman-adv/batman-adv.ko
-/net/batman-adv/batman-adv.mod.c
-/net/batman-adv/modules.order
-/net/batman-adv/Module.symvers
-/net/batman-adv/*.o
+/modules.order
+/Module.symvers
+/.tmp_versions
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d42bb56..b105290 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST=y
 export CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_BATMAN_V=n
 
 PWD:=$(shell pwd)
+BUILD_DIR=$(PWD)/build
 KERNELPATH ?= /lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build
 # sanity check: does KERNELPATH exist?
 ifeq ($(shell cd $(KERNELPATH) && pwd),)
@@ -41,6 +42,14 @@ endif
 
 export KERNELPATH
 RM ?= rm -f
+MKDIR := mkdir -p
+PATCH_FLAGS = --batch --fuzz=0 --forward --strip=1 --unified --version-control=never -g0 --remove-empty-files --no-backup-if-mismatch --reject-file=-
+PATCH := patch $(PATCH_FLAGS) -i
+CP := cp -fpR
+
+SOURCE = $(wildcard net/batman-adv/*.[ch]) net/batman-adv/Makefile
+SOURCE_BUILD = $(wildcard $(BUILD_DIR)/net/batman-adv/*.[ch]) $(BUILD_DIR)/net/batman-adv/Makefile
+SOURCE_STAMP = $(BUILD_DIR)/net/batman-adv/.compat-prepared
 
 REVISION= $(shell	if [ -d "$(PWD)/.git" ]; then \
 				echo $$(git --git-dir="$(PWD)/.git" describe --always --dirty --match "v*" |sed 's/^v//' 2> /dev/null || echo "[unknown]"); \
@@ -57,7 +66,7 @@ endif
 
 include $(PWD)/compat-sources/Makefile
 
-obj-y += net/batman-adv/
+obj-y += build/net/batman-adv/
 
 export batman-adv-y
 
@@ -76,18 +85,32 @@ BUILD_FLAGS := \
 	CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_BATMAN_V=$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_BATMAN_V) \
 	INSTALL_MOD_DIR=updates/
 
-all: config
+all: config $(SOURCE_STAMP)
 	$(MAKE) -C $(KERNELPATH) $(BUILD_FLAGS)	modules
 
 clean:
 	$(RM) compat-autoconf.h*
-	$(MAKE) -C $(KERNELPATH) $(BUILD_FLAGS) clean
+	$(RM) -r $(BUILD_DIR)
 
-install: config
+install: config $(SOURCE_STAMP)
 	$(MAKE) -C $(KERNELPATH) $(BUILD_FLAGS) modules_install
 	depmod -a
 
 config:
 	$(PWD)/gen-compat-autoconf.sh $(PWD)/compat-autoconf.h
 
+$(SOURCE_STAMP): $(SOURCE) compat-patches/*
+	$(MKDIR) $(BUILD_DIR)/net/batman-adv/
+	@$(RM) $(SOURCE_BUILD)
+	@$(CP) $(SOURCE) $(BUILD_DIR)/net/batman-adv/
+	@set -e; \
+	patches="$$(ls -1 compat-patches/|grep '.patch$$'|sort)"; \
+	for i in $${patches}; do \
+		echo '  COMPAT_PATCH '$${i};\
+		cd $(BUILD_DIR); \
+		$(PATCH) ../compat-patches/$${i}; \
+		cd - > /dev/null; \
+	done
+	touch $(SOURCE_STAMP)
+
 .PHONY: all clean install config
diff --git a/compat-patches/README b/compat-patches/README
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bbddb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compat-patches/README
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+WARNING
+=======
+
+Please avoid using the compat-patches/ to implement support for old kernels.
+This should be the last resort.
+
+ * it is nearly always possible to use compat-includes/ to do the same with a
+   lot less problems
+
+ * maintaining these patches is *censored*
+
+GENERATING A PATCH
+==================
+
+If it not possible to avoid a patch then please make the patch as small as
+possible. Even refactor the code which has to be patched to reduce the
+size/number of the changes.
+
+Please use git-format-patches to generate them and order same inside via the
+XXXX- prefix of the patch name.
+
+    git format-patch --abbrev=7 -U3 --diff-algorithm=histogram --no-signature \
+	--format=format:'From: %an <%ae>%nDate: %aD%nSubject: [PATCH] %B' -1
diff --git a/compat-sources/Makefile b/compat-sources/Makefile
index a45c202..c8bae49 100644
--- a/compat-sources/Makefile
+++ b/compat-sources/Makefile
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../compat-sources/net/core/skbuff.o
-batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../compat-sources/net/ipv4/igmp.o
-batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../compat-sources/net/ipv6/mcast_snoop.o
+batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../../compat-sources/net/core/skbuff.o
+batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../../compat-sources/net/ipv4/igmp.o
+batman-adv-$(CONFIG_BATMAN_ADV_MCAST) += ../../../compat-sources/net/ipv6/mcast_snoop.o
