diff --git a/el/CMakeLists.txt b/el/CMakeLists.txt
index d386fbe..327ab0d 100644
--- a/el/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/el/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,58 +1,62 @@
 option(SC_EL_BYTECOMPILE "Build emacs-based IDE." ON)
 mark_as_advanced(SC_EL_BYTECOMPILE)
 
-file(GLOB scel_sources
-     RELATIVE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} *.el)
-
-list(REMOVE_ITEM scel_sources ".dir-locals.el")
-
-file(GLOB_RECURSE local-load-path
-    LIST_DIRECTORIES true
-    "~/.emacs.d/site-lisp/*"
-    "~/.emacs.d/elpa/*")
-
-set(all_scel_sources ${scel_sources} sclang-vars.el)
-
 set(PKG_DATA_DIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/share/SuperCollider)
 
+file(GLOB scel_sources
+	 RELATIVE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} *.el)
+
+# if w3m in installed locally add to the load-path
+file(GLOB local-load-path
+	LIST_DIRECTORIES true
+	"$ENV{HOME}/.emacs.d/site-lisp/w3m-*"
+	"$ENV{HOME}/.emacs.d/elpa/w3m-*")
+
+foreach (path ${local-load-path})
+	if(NOT IS_DIRECTORY ${path})
+		list(REMOVE_ITEM local-load-path ${path})
+	endif()
+endforeach()
+
+list(APPEND local-load-path ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
+
+# convert to string of form " dir1 -L dir2 -L dir3 ..." when more than one dir
+string(JOIN " -L " load-path ${local-load-path})
+
+# build the argument string
+string(CONCAT EMACS_ARGS "-batch -L " ${load-path} " -f batch-byte-compile")
+
 configure_file(sclang-vars.el.in
-               ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sclang-vars.el)
+			   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sclang-vars.el)
 
 foreach (el ${scel_sources})
-    configure_file(${el} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el})
+	configure_file(${el} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el})
 endforeach()
 
 set(all_scel_sources ${scel_sources} sclang-vars.el)
 
 install (FILES ${scel_sources} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sclang-vars.el
-            DESTINATION share/emacs/site-lisp/SuperCollider)
+			DESTINATION share/emacs/site-lisp/SuperCollider)
 
+# the emacs command needs to be evaled due to layers of (un)escaping required to add load-path
 if (SC_EL_BYTECOMPILE)
-    find_program(EMACS_EXECUTABLE emacs)
-    if(EMACS_EXECUTABLE-NOTFOUND)
-        message(SEND_ERROR "Emacs could not be found.\n (If emacs interface is not required, then set SC_EL=no)")
-    endif()
+	find_program(EMACS_EXECUTABLE emacs)
+	if(NOT EMACS_EXECUTABLE)
+		message(SEND_ERROR "Emacs could not be found.\n (If emacs interface is not required, then set SC_EL=no)")
+	endif()
 
-    find_program(W3M_EXECUTABLE w3m)
-    if(W3M_EXECUTABLE-NOTFOUND)
-        message(SEND_ERROR "Install w3m to build the help viewer.")
-    endif()
+	foreach (el ${all_scel_sources})
+		add_custom_command(OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c
+			VERBATIM
+			COMMAND eval "${EMACS_EXECUTABLE} ${EMACS_ARGS} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}"
+			DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}
+			WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+			COMMENT "Creating byte-compiled Emacs lisp ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c")
 
-    foreach (el ${all_scel_sources})
-        add_custom_command(OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c
-            COMMAND ${EMACS_EXECUTABLE} -batch
-                -L ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
-                -L ${local-load-path}
-                -f batch-byte-compile
-                ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}
-            DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}
-            WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
-            COMMENT "Creating byte-compiled Emacs lisp ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c")
+		add_custom_target(compile_${el}c ALL
+		DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c)
 
-        add_custom_target(compile_${el}c ALL
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c)
-
-        install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c
-        DESTINATION share/emacs/site-lisp/SuperCollider)
-    endforeach()
+		install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${el}c
+		DESTINATION share/emacs/site-lisp/SuperCollider)
+	endforeach()
 endif()