diff --git a/make/conf.mk b/make/conf.mk
index 651ceb76..856770b7 100644
--- a/make/conf.mk
+++ b/make/conf.mk
@@ -4,15 +4,26 @@ include $(JWBDIR)/make/dev-utils.mk
 
 all:
 clean: clean.conf
-install: install_CFG install_files_SYSCFG install_files_LOGROT install_files_CRONTAB install_files_RSYSLOG \
-	install_files_APACHE_CONF install_files_SYSTEMD install_files_INIT install_files_TMPFILES $(CONF_D)
+install: \
+	$(INSTALL_CFGTOPDIR) \
+	install_CFG \
+	install_files_SYSCFG \
+	install_files_LOGROT \
+	install_files_CRONTAB \
+	install_files_RSYSLOG \
+	install_files_APACHE_CONF \
+	install_files_SYSTEMD \
+	install_files_INIT \
+	install_files_TMPFILES \
+	$(CONF_D)
 test: all
 
 clean.conf:
 	$(RM) -rf *~ .*.swp *.done
 
-ifneq ($(CONFIG_SUBDIR),)
-$(INSTALLED_CFG): $(INSTALL_CFGDIR)
+ifneq ($(INSTALL_CFGTOPDIR),)
+$(INSTALL_CFGTOPDIR):
+	$(INSTALL) -D -d -m $(CFGTOPDIRMODE) -o $(CFGTOPDIROWNER) -g $(CFGTOPDIRGROUP) $@
 endif
 
 ifneq ($(CONF_D),)
diff --git a/make/defs-dev.mk b/make/defs-dev.mk
index 869ad322..15aa29da 100644
--- a/make/defs-dev.mk
+++ b/make/defs-dev.mk
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ LOG_PREFIX                  ?= $(PREFIX)/log
 JAVA_PREFIX                 ?= $(PREFIX)
 HDR_SCOPE_PREFIX            ?=
 
+INSTALL_PREFIXDIR           ?= $(PREFIX)
 DATA_DIR                    ?= $(FLAVOUR_PATH_PREFIX)$(PREFIX)/data
 IMAGEDIR                    ?= $(DATA_DIR)/images
 JSON_DIR                    ?= $(DATA_DIR)/json
@@ -71,6 +72,9 @@ CFGMODE                     ?= 660
 CFGDIROWNER                 ?= $(EXEDIROWNER)
 CFGDIRGROUP                 ?= $(EXEDIRGROUP)
 CFGDIRMODE                  ?= $(EXEDIRMODE)
+CFGTOPDIROWNER              ?= $(CFGDIROWNER)
+CFGTOPDIRGROUP              ?= $(CFGDIRGROUP)
+CFGTOPDIRMODE               ?= $(CFGDIRMODE)
 SYSCFGOWNER                 ?= $(CFGOWNER)
 SYSCFGGROUP                 ?= $(CFGGROUP)
 SYSCFGMODE                  ?= $(CFGMODE)
diff --git a/make/defs-dist.mk b/make/defs-dist.mk
index 03dc3574..bb1602cb 100644
--- a/make/defs-dist.mk
+++ b/make/defs-dist.mk
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ LOG_PREFIX                  ?= $(ENV_PREFIX)/var/log
 JAVA_PREFIX                 ?= $(PREFIX)
 HDR_SCOPE_PREFIX            ?=
 
+INSTALL_PREFIXDIR           ?= $(PREFIX)
 DATA_DIR                    ?= $(FLAVOUR_PATH_PREFIX)$(PREFIX)/data
 IMAGEDIR                    ?= $(DATA_DIR)/images
 JSON_DIR                    ?= $(DATA_DIR)/json
@@ -71,6 +72,9 @@ CFGMODE                     ?= 664
 CFGDIROWNER                 ?= $(EXEDIROWNER)
 CFGDIRGROUP                 ?= $(EXEDIRGROUP)
 CFGDIRMODE                  ?= $(EXEDIRMODE)
+CFGTOPDIROWNER              ?= $(CFGDIROWNER)
+CFGTOPDIRGROUP              ?= $(CFGDIRGROUP)
+CFGTOPDIRMODE               ?= $(CFGDIRMODE)
 SYSCFGOWNER                 ?= $(CFGOWNER)
 SYSCFGGROUP                 ?= $(CFGGROUP)
 SYSCFGMODE                  ?= $(CFGMODE)
diff --git a/make/defs.mk b/make/defs.mk
index 25f014b0..7e778b07 100644
--- a/make/defs.mk
+++ b/make/defs.mk
@@ -307,6 +307,8 @@ LOCAL_MKFILES               ?= $(wildcard GNUmakefile makefile Makefile *.mk)
 LOG_QUAL_PREFIX             ?= $(LOGID):
 
 # -- standard dirs and files for build and install
+INSTALLATION_FILE_TYPES     += PREFIX
+
 # -- CFG
 INSTALLATION_FILE_TYPES     += CFG
 CONFIG_FILE                 ?= $(CONFIG_DIR)/$(PROJECT).conf
@@ -314,6 +316,7 @@ BUILD_CFGDIR                 = $(TOPDIR)/conf
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_SUBDIR),)
   INSTALL_CFGDIR            ?= $(CONFIG_DIR)
 else
+  INSTALL_CFGTOPDIR         ?= $(CONFIG_DIR)
   INSTALL_CFGDIR            ?= $(CONFIG_DIR)/$(CONFIG_SUBDIR)
 endif
 LOCAL_CFG                   ?= $(filter-out %.site.conf, $(filter-out rsyslog-%, $(wildcard *.conf *.xml *.bprof *.jw-tmpl *.ini *.yaml *.toml))) $(LOCAL_EXTRA_CFG)
diff --git a/make/include.mk b/make/include.mk
index b98dec5f..948fc05b 100644
--- a/make/include.mk
+++ b/make/include.mk
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ SRC_H                       += $(PROJ_H) $(wildcard $(HDRDIR_SCOPE_SUFFIX)/*.h)
 # mandatory targets
 all: $(PROJ_H)
 clean: clean.include
-install: install_HDR
+install: install_dir_PREFIX install_HDR
 
 # not wäry naaice
 ifneq ($(HDRDIR_SCOPE_SUFFIX),)
diff --git a/make/make.mk b/make/make.mk
index d71ca4d8..c540c447 100644
--- a/make/make.mk
+++ b/make/make.mk
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ endif
 ifeq ($(CREATE_PKG_CONFIG),true)
 all: build_PKG_CONFIG
 endif
-install: $(DEVEL_TARGETS)
+install: install_dir_PREFIX $(DEVEL_TARGETS)
 clean: textclean localclean doneclean clean.pkg-config
 test: all
 
diff --git a/make/scripts-targets.mk b/make/scripts-targets.mk
index 4b0a35d8..f59c86f3 100644
--- a/make/scripts-targets.mk
+++ b/make/scripts-targets.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 all: build_EXE build_CGI
-install: install_files_INIT install_EXE install_files_CGI install_files_SYSCFG
+install: install_dir_PREFIX install_files_INIT install_EXE install_files_CGI install_files_SYSCFG
 clean:allclean localclean doneclean textclean clean.init
 test: all
 
diff --git a/make/so.mk b/make/so.mk
index 333b8dfa..e6594b95 100644
--- a/make/so.mk
+++ b/make/so.mk
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ include $(JWBDIR)/make/rules.mk
 
 all: $(SHOBJS) $(BUILD_SHOBJS)
 clean: objclean textclean localclean profclean
-install: $(ALL) install_dir_LIB installso
+install: $(ALL) install_dir_PREFIX install_dir_LIB installso
 
 $(BUILD_LIBDIR)/%.so: %.so
 	install -m 755 $< $@
diff --git a/make/yapp.mk b/make/yapp.mk
index 42fd2fd0..26371559 100644
--- a/make/yapp.mk
+++ b/make/yapp.mk
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ endif
 include $(JWBDIR)/make/exe.mk
 
 all: build_EXE
-install: install_EXE
+install: install_dir_PREFIX install_EXE
 clean: clean.yapp
 distclean: