diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 01d38281..61f65d78 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -61,8 +61,6 @@ message("-- FOUND FLEX INCLUDE DIRS: ${FLEX_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
 # find package
 #list(APPEND CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/smt-switch")
 
-set(SMT_SWITCH_DIR "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/smt-switch")
-
 # rely on cmake modules from smt-switch (required anyway)
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${SMT_SWITCH_DIR}/cmake)
 
diff --git a/configure.sh b/configure.sh
index 74e4f740..39036089 100755
--- a/configure.sh
+++ b/configure.sh
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Configures the CMAKE build environment.
 -h, --help              display this message and exit
 --prefix=STR            install directory       (default: /usr/local/)
 --build-dir=STR         custom build directory  (default: build)
+--smt-switch-dir=STR    custom smt-switch directory (default: deps/smt-switch)
 --with-msat             build with MathSAT which has a custom non-BSD compliant license.  (default : off)
                         Required for interpolant based model checking
 --with-msat-ic3ia       build with the open-source IC3IA implementation as a backend. (default: off)
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ die () {
 }
 
 build_dir=build
+smt_switch_dir=$(pwd)/deps/smt-switch
 install_prefix=default
 build_type=default
 with_msat=default
@@ -71,6 +73,15 @@ do
                 *) build_dir=$(pwd)/$build_dir ;; # make absolute path
             esac
             ;;
+        --smt-switch-dir) die "missing argument to $1 (see -h)" ;;
+        --smt-switch-dir=*)
+            smt_switch_dir=${1##*=}
+            # Check if this is an absolute path and if not, make it absolute.
+            case $smt_switch_dir in
+                /*) ;;                                      # absolute path
+                *) smt_switch_dir=$(pwd)/$smt_switch_dir ;; # make absolute path
+            esac
+            ;;
         --with-msat) with_msat=ON;;
         --with-msat-ic3ia) with_msat_ic3ia=ON;;
         --with-coreir) with_coreir=ON;;
@@ -98,7 +109,7 @@ done
 [ $lib_type = STATIC ] && [ $with_coreir = ON -o $with_coreir_extern = ON ] && \
     die "CoreIR and static build are incompatible, must omit either '--static/--static-lib' or '--with-coreir/--with-coreir-extern'"
 
-cmake_opts="-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$buildtype -DPONO_LIB_TYPE=${lib_type} -DPONO_STATIC_EXEC=${static_exec}"
+cmake_opts="-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=$buildtype -DPONO_LIB_TYPE=${lib_type} -DPONO_STATIC_EXEC=${static_exec} -DSMT_SWITCH_DIR=${smt_switch_dir}"
 
 [ $install_prefix != default ] \
     && cmake_opts="$cmake_opts -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$install_prefix"
diff --git a/python/CMakeLists.txt b/python/CMakeLists.txt
index bc05785b..d69946ae 100644
--- a/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ else()
       CACHE STRING "Extra flags to the cython compiler." FORCE)
 endif()
 
-include_directories("${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/smt-switch/python/smt_switch")
+include_directories("${SMT_SWITCH_DIR}/python/smt_switch")
 
 # Everything from here up to line 'include(FindPythonExtensions)' is copied
 # from smt-switch python/CMakefile:
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ add_cython_target(pono CXX)
 add_library(pono MODULE ${pono})
 
 target_link_libraries(pono pono-lib)
-target_include_directories(pono PUBLIC "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/smt-switch/local/include/smt-switch")
+target_include_directories(pono PUBLIC "${SMT_SWITCH_DIR}/local/include/smt-switch")
 
 python_extension_module(pono)