diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1650a310..c2e0603f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ _JavaScript has npm, Ruby has Gems, Python has pip and now Shell has bpkg!_
 
 `bpkg` is a lightweight bash package manager. It takes care of fetching the shell scripts, installing them appropriately, setting the execution permission and more.
 
-You can install shell scripts globally (on `/usr/local/bin`) or use them on a _per-project basis_ (on `./deps/`), as a lazy-man "copy and paste".
+You can install shell scripts globally (on `${PREFIX:-/usr/local/bin}`) or use them on a _per-project basis_ (on `${BPKG_DEPS:-./deps/}`), as a lazy-man "copy and paste".
 
 <!-- BEGIN-MARKDOWN-TOC -->
 * [Install](#install)
@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ You use `bpkg` by simply sending commands, pretty much like `npm` or `pip`.
 
 ### Installing packages
 
-Packages can either be global (on `/usr/local/bin` if installed as root or
- `$HOME/.local/bin` otherwize) or local (under `./deps`).
+Packages can either be global (on `${PREFIX:-/usr/local/bin}` if installed as root or
+ `${PREFIX:-$HOME/.local/bin}` otherwize) or local (under `${BPKG_DEPS:-./deps}`).
 
 For example, here's a **global install for the current user** of the [term package][term]:
 
diff --git a/lib/install/install.sh b/lib/install/install.sh
index c92bb42e..ed59aeeb 100755
--- a/lib/install/install.sh
+++ b/lib/install/install.sh
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ if [[ ${#BPKG_REMOTES[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
   BPKG_GIT_REMOTES[0]=${BPKG_GIT_REMOTE-https://github.com}
 fi
 BPKG_USER="${BPKG_USER:-bpkg}"
+BPKG_DEPS="${BPKG_DEPS:-deps}"
 
 ## check parameter consistency
 validate_parameters () {
@@ -436,17 +437,17 @@ bpkg_install_from_remote () {
   ## perform local install otherwise
   else
     ## copy 'bpkg.json' or 'package.json' over
-    save_remote_file "$url/$package_file" "$cwd/deps/$name/$package_file" "$auth_param"
+    save_remote_file "$url/$package_file" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$package_file" "$auth_param"
 
-    ## make 'deps/' directory if possible
-    mkdir -p "$cwd/deps/$name"
+    ## make '$BPKG_DEPS/' directory if possible
+    mkdir -p "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name"
 
-    ## make 'deps/bin' directory if possible
-    mkdir -p "$cwd/deps/bin"
+    ## make '$BPKG_DEPS/bin' directory if possible
+    mkdir -p "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/bin"
 
     # install package dependencies
     info "Install dependencies for $name"
-    (cd "$cwd/deps/$name" && bpkg getdeps)
+    (cd "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name" && bpkg getdeps)
 
     ## grab each script and place in deps directory
     for script in "${scripts[@]}"; do
@@ -455,13 +456,13 @@ bpkg_install_from_remote () {
           local scriptname="$(echo "$script" | xargs basename )"
 
           info "fetch" "$url/$script"
-          info "write" "$cwd/deps/$name/$script"
-          save_remote_file "$url/$script" "$cwd/deps/$name/$script" "$auth_param"
+          info "write" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$script"
+          save_remote_file "$url/$script" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$script" "$auth_param"
 
           scriptname="${scriptname%.*}"
-          info "$scriptname to PATH" "$cwd/deps/bin/$scriptname"
-          ln -si "$cwd/deps/$name/$script" "$cwd/deps/bin/$scriptname"
-          chmod u+x "$cwd/deps/bin/$scriptname"
+          info "$scriptname to PATH" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/bin/$scriptname"
+          ln -si "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$script" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/bin/$scriptname"
+          chmod u+x "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/bin/$scriptname"
         fi
       )
     done
@@ -472,8 +473,8 @@ bpkg_install_from_remote () {
       (
           if [[ "$file" ]];then
             info "fetch" "$url/$file"
-            info "write" "$cwd/deps/$name/$file"
-            save_remote_file "$url/$file" "$cwd/deps/$name/$file" "$auth_param"
+            info "write" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$file"
+            save_remote_file "$url/$file" "$cwd/$BPKG_DEPS/$name/$file" "$auth_param"
           fi
         )
       done