diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 51370db28d..adaf6740b3 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 
-SUBDIRS = debian gst-libs pkgconfig sys tests docs
+SUBDIRS = debian.upstream gst-libs pkgconfig sys tests docs
 
 # Extra clean files so that maintainer-clean removes *everything*
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = \
@@ -8,8 +8,15 @@ MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = \
 	configure depcomp install-sh ltmain.sh     \
 	Makefile.in missing config.h.in gtk-doc.make
 
-deb: dist
-	-mkdir -p debian-build
-	cd debian-build && \
-	tar zxvf ../$(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION).tar.gz && \
-	cd $(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION) && dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -uc -us
+DEB_BUILDDIR = debian.build
+
+deb:
+	dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -uc -us
+
+deb.upstream: dist
+	-mkdir -p $(DEB_BUILDDIR)
+	cd $(DEB_BUILDDIR)				&& \
+	tar zxvf ../$(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION).tar.gz	&& \
+	cd $(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION)			&& \
+	$(LN_S) debian.upstream debian			&& \
+	$(MAKE) deb -f Makefile.am
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 247bdf84cd..5d1cdfc9da 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -190,19 +190,19 @@ AC_SUBST(pkgconfigdir)
 
 AC_OUTPUT([
     Makefile
-    debian/Makefile
-    debian/changelog
-    debian/control
-    debian/gstreamer$GST_MAJORMINOR-vaapi.install:\
-debian/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in
-    debian/gstreamer$GST_MAJORMINOR-vaapi-doc.install:\
-debian/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in
-    debian/libgstvaapi$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION.install:\
-debian/libgstvaapi.install.in
-    debian/libgstvaapi$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION-dev.install:\
-debian/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in
-    debian/libgstvaapi-x11-$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION.install:\
-debian/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in
+    debian.upstream/Makefile
+    debian.upstream/changelog
+    debian.upstream/control
+    debian.upstream/gstreamer$GST_MAJORMINOR-vaapi.install:\
+debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in
+    debian.upstream/gstreamer$GST_MAJORMINOR-vaapi-doc.install:\
+debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in
+    debian.upstream/libgstvaapi$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION.install:\
+debian.upstream/libgstvaapi.install.in
+    debian.upstream/libgstvaapi$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION-dev.install:\
+debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in
+    debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-x11-$GST_VAAPI_MAJOR_VERSION.install:\
+debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in
     docs/Makefile
     docs/reference/Makefile
     docs/reference/libs/Makefile
diff --git a/debian/Makefile.am b/debian.upstream/Makefile.am
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/Makefile.am
rename to debian.upstream/Makefile.am
diff --git a/debian/changelog.in b/debian.upstream/changelog.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/changelog.in
rename to debian.upstream/changelog.in
diff --git a/debian/compat b/debian.upstream/compat
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/compat
rename to debian.upstream/compat
diff --git a/debian/control.in b/debian.upstream/control.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/control.in
rename to debian.upstream/control.in
diff --git a/debian/copyright b/debian.upstream/copyright
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/copyright
rename to debian.upstream/copyright
diff --git a/debian/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in b/debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in
rename to debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi-doc.install.in
diff --git a/debian/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in b/debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in
rename to debian.upstream/gstreamer-vaapi.install.in
diff --git a/debian/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in b/debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in
rename to debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-dev.install.in
diff --git a/debian/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in b/debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in
rename to debian.upstream/libgstvaapi-x11.install.in
diff --git a/debian/libgstvaapi.install.in b/debian.upstream/libgstvaapi.install.in
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/libgstvaapi.install.in
rename to debian.upstream/libgstvaapi.install.in
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian.upstream/rules
similarity index 100%
rename from debian/rules
rename to debian.upstream/rules