diff --git a/test/test_builder.py b/test/test_builder.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..409ef12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_builder.py
@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+import os
+import unittest
+from tempfile import NamedTemporaryFile
+
+from lxml import etree
+
+from osc.builder import Builder, su_cmd, sudo_cmd
+from test.osctest import OscTest
+
+
+def suite():
+    return unittest.makeSuite(TestBuilder)
+
+
+class TestBuilder(OscTest):
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        kwargs['fixtures_dir'] = 'test_builder_fixtures'
+        super(TestBuilder, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def test_builder1(self):
+        """test options 1"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.jobs = 2
+        builder.debug = True
+        builder.no_init = True
+        builder.root = '/var/tmp/build-root'
+        exp_opts = ['--debug', '--jobs', '2', '--no-init',
+                    '--root', '"/var/tmp/build-root"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder2(self):
+        """test options 1 (via set)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.set('jobs', 2)
+        builder.set('debug', True)
+        builder.set('no_init', True)
+        builder.set('root', '/var/tmp/build-root')
+        exp_opts = ['--debug', '--jobs', '2', '--no-init',
+                    '--root', '"/var/tmp/build-root"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder3(self):
+        """test multiple options"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.without = 'feat1'
+        builder.without += 'abc'
+        builder.rsync_src = '/path/to/src'
+        builder.without += 'feat2'
+        exp_opts = ['--rsync-src', '"/path/to/src"', '--without', '"feat1"',
+                    '--without', '"abc"', '--without', '"feat2"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder4(self):
+        """test multiple options (via set)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.set('without', 'feat1')
+        builder.set('without', 'abc', append=True)
+        builder.set('rsync_src', '/path/to/src')
+        builder.set('without', 'feat2', append=True)
+        exp_opts = ['--rsync-src', '"/path/to/src"', '--without', '"feat1"',
+                    '--without', '"abc"', '--without', '"feat2"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder5(self):
+        """test multiple options (no append)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.foo = 'bar'
+        builder.foo += 'xyz'
+        builder.foo = 'foobar'
+        builder.bar = 42
+        exp_opts = ['--bar', '42', '--foo', '"foobar"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder6(self):
+        """test multiple options (no append via set)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.set('foo', 'bar')
+        builder.set('foo', 'xyz', append=True)
+        builder.set('foo', 'foobar')
+        builder.set('bar', 42)
+        exp_opts = ['--bar', '42', '--foo', '"foobar"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder7(self):
+        """test multiple options (lists)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.foo = 'bar'
+        builder.foo += ['x', 'y', 'z']
+        builder.z = True
+        builder.foo += 'a'
+        exp_opts = ['--foo', '"bar"', '--foo', '"x"', '--foo', '"y"',
+                    '--foo', '"z"', '--foo', '"a"', '--z']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder8(self):
+        """test multiple options (lists via set)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.set('foo', 'bar')
+        builder.set('foo', ['x', 'y', 'z'], append=True)
+        builder.set('z', True)
+        builder.set('foo', 'a', append=True)
+        exp_opts = ['--foo', '"bar"', '--foo', '"x"', '--foo', '"y"',
+                    '--foo', '"z"', '--foo', '"a"', '--z']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder9(self):
+        """test unset option (set to None)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.abc = 'def'
+        builder.test = 'test123'
+        builder.jobs = 42
+        builder.abc = None
+        builder.jobs = None
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), ['--test', '"test123"'])
+
+    def test_builder10(self):
+        """test unset option (set to None via set)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.abc = 'def'
+        builder.test = 'test123'
+        builder.jobs = 42
+        builder.set('abc', None)
+        builder.set('jobs', None)
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), ['--test', '"test123"'])
+
+    def test_builder11(self):
+        """test unset option (set to None via del)"""
+        builder = Builder()
+        builder.abc = 'def'
+        builder.test = 'test123'
+        builder.jobs = 42
+        del builder.abc
+        del builder.jobs
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), ['--test', '"test123"'])
+
+    def test_builder12(self):
+        """test constructor parameters"""
+        builder = Builder(rpmlist='/path/to/rpmlist', jobs=2,
+                          root='/var/tmp/build-root', arch='x86_64',
+                          config='/path/to/buildconfig')
+        # overwrite jobs
+        builder.jobs = 3
+        exp_opts = ['--arch', '"x86_64"', '--config', '"/path/to/buildconfig"',
+                    '--jobs', '3', '--root', '"/var/tmp/build-root"',
+                    '--rpmlist', '"/path/to/rpmlist"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.opts(), exp_opts)
+
+    def test_builder13(self):
+        """test cmd construction (with su (default))"""
+        builder = Builder(arch='x86_64', root='/var/tmp/build-root', jobs=2)
+        exp_cmd = ['su', '--shell', '"/usr/bin/build"', 'root', '--',
+                   '--arch', '"x86_64"', '--jobs', '2',
+                   '--root', '"/var/tmp/build-root"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.cmd(), exp_cmd)
+
+    def test_builder14(self):
+        """test cmd construction (with sudo)"""
+        builder = Builder(su_cmd=Builder.SUDO, arch='x86_64',
+                          root='/var/tmp/build-root', jobs=2)
+        exp_cmd = ['sudo', '"/usr/bin/build"', '--arch', '"x86_64"',
+                   '--jobs', '2', '--root', '"/var/tmp/build-root"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.cmd(), exp_cmd)
+
+    def test_builder15(self):
+        """test cmd construction different build_cmd (no su_cmd)"""
+        builder = Builder(build_cmd='/bin/echo', su_cmd=None, foo='bar')
+        exp_cmd = ['/bin/echo', '--foo', '"bar"']
+        self.assertEqual(builder.cmd(), exp_cmd)
+
+    def test_builder16(self):
+        """test run method (retcode 0)"""
+        build_cmd = self.fixture_file('./dummy.sh')
+        builder = Builder(build_cmd=build_cmd, su_cmd=None)
+        ret = builder.run()
+        self.assertEqual(ret, 0)
+
+    def test_builder17(self):
+        """test run method (retcode 1)"""
+        build_cmd = self.fixture_file('dummy.sh')
+        builder = Builder(build_cmd=build_cmd, su_cmd=None, fail=True)
+        ret = builder.run()
+        self.assertEqual(ret, 1)
+
+    def test_builder18(self):
+        """test run method (write stdout to tmpfile)"""
+        build_cmd = self.fixture_file('dummy.sh')
+        builder = Builder(build_cmd=build_cmd, su_cmd=None, out='blah')
+        with NamedTemporaryFile() as f:
+            ret = builder.run(stdout=f)
+            self.assertEqual(ret, 0)
+            f.seek(0, os.SEEK_SET)
+            self.assertEqual(f.read(), '"blah"\n')
+
+    def test_builder19(self):
+        """test run method (no shell expansion)"""
+        build_cmd = self.fixture_file('dummy.sh')
+        builder = Builder(build_cmd=build_cmd, su_cmd=None, out='$PATH')
+        with NamedTemporaryFile() as f:
+            ret = builder.run(stdout=f)
+            self.assertEqual(ret, 0)
+            f.seek(0, os.SEEK_SET)
+            # path is not expanded because subprocess.call is invoked
+            # with shell=False
+            self.assertEqual(f.read(), '"$PATH"\n')
+
+    def test_su_cmd1(self):
+        """test the construction of the "su" cmd"""
+        cmd = su_cmd('/usr/bin/build', ['--arch', '"x86_64"', '--jobs', '3'])
+        exp_cmd = ['su', '--shell', '"/usr/bin/build"', 'root', '--',
+                   '--arch', '"x86_64"', '--jobs', '3']
+        self.assertEqual(cmd, exp_cmd)
+
+    def test_sudo_cmd1(self):
+        """test the construction of the "sudo" cmd"""
+        cmd = sudo_cmd('/usr/bin/build', ['--arch', '"x86_64"', '--jobs', '3'])
+        exp_cmd = ['sudo', '"/usr/bin/build"', '--arch', '"x86_64"',
+                   '--jobs', '3']
+        self.assertEqual(cmd, exp_cmd)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/test/test_builder_fixtures/dummy.sh b/test/test_builder_fixtures/dummy.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5bed9fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_builder_fixtures/dummy.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+test "$1" = "--fail" && exit 1
+test "$1" = "--out" && echo "$2"
+exit 0