diff --git a/build/php.m4 b/build/php.m4
index da316944f3e..8eadfeb5099 100644
--- a/build/php.m4
+++ b/build/php.m4
@@ -142,6 +142,9 @@ AS_VAR_IF([CFLAGS],, [auto_cflags=1])
 dnl Required programs.
 PHP_PROG_AWK
 
+abs_srcdir=$(cd $srcdir && pwd)
+abs_builddir=$(pwd)
+
 dnl Run at the end of the configuration, before creating the config.status.
 AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_PRE(
 [dnl Directory for storing shared objects of extensions.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 0221a3475fa..54d26df6336 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -100,9 +100,6 @@ dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 PHP_INIT_BUILD_SYSTEM
 
-abs_srcdir=`(cd $srcdir; pwd)`
-abs_builddir=`pwd`
-
 dnl Because `make install` is often performed by the superuser, we create the
 dnl libs subdirectory as the user who configures PHP. Otherwise, the current
 dnl user will not be able to delete libs or the contents of libs.
diff --git a/scripts/phpize.m4 b/scripts/phpize.m4
index a4d71b0e33c..09adfa787b5 100644
--- a/scripts/phpize.m4
+++ b/scripts/phpize.m4
@@ -28,9 +28,6 @@ AC_DEFUN([PHP_ALWAYS_SHARED],[
 
 PHP_INIT_BUILD_SYSTEM
 
-abs_srcdir=`(cd $srcdir && pwd)`
-abs_builddir=`pwd`
-
 PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
 AC_PROG_CC([cc gcc])
 PHP_DETECT_ICC