diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a2604c114..3d2dc0eed 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -52,37 +52,25 @@ configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/server/test/maxscale_test.h.in ${CMAKE_BINARY
 configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/etc/postinst.in ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/postinst)
 configure_file(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/etc/postrm.in ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/postrm)
 
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "-Wall -Wno-unused-variable -Wno-unused-function -fPIC")
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-Wall -Wno-unused-variable -Wno-unused-function -fPIC")
-set(DEBUG_FLAGS "-ggdb -pthread -pipe -Wformat -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4")
+set(FLAGS "-Wall -Wno-unused-variable -Wno-unused-function -fPIC" CACHE STRING "Compilation flags")
+set(DEBUG_FLAGS "-ggdb -pthread -pipe -Wformat -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4" CACHE STRING "Debug compilation flags")
 
 if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER 2.6)
   if((CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU") AND (NOT (CMAKE_C_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_LESS 4.2)))
     message(STATUS "C Compiler supports: -Werror=format-security")
-    set(DEBUG_FLAGS "${DEBUG_FLAGS} -Werror=format-security")
+    set(DEBUG_FLAGS "${DEBUG_FLAGS} -Werror=format-security" CACHE STRING "Debug compilation flags")
   endif()
 
   if((CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU") AND (NOT (CMAKE_C_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_LESS 4.6)))
     message(STATUS "C Compiler supports: -Wno-unused-but-set-variable")
-    set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -Wno-unused-but-set-variable ")
-    set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -Wno-unused-but-set-variable ")
+    set(FLAGS "${FLAGS} -Wno-unused-but-set-variable " CACHE STRING "Compilation flags")
   endif()
 endif()
 
-if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL Debug)
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} ${DEBUG_FLAGS} -DSS_DEBUG")
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} ${DEBUG_FLAGS} -DSS_DEBUG")
-  message(STATUS "Generating debugging symbols and enabling debugging code")
-elseif(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL RelWithDebInfo)
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} ${DEBUG_FLAGS}")
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} ${DEBUG_FLAGS}")
-  message(STATUS "Generating debugging symbols")
-endif()
 
-if(DEFINED OLEVEL )
+IF(DEFINED OLEVEL )
   if((OLEVEL GREATER -1) AND (OLEVEL LESS 4) )
-  	set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -O${OLEVEL}")
-	set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -O${OLEVEL}")
+  	set(FLAGS "${FLAGS} -O${OLEVEL}" CACHE STRING "Compilation flags")
 	message(STATUS "Optimization level at: ${OLEVEL}")
   else()
 	message(WARNING "Optimization level was set to a bad value, ignoring it. (Valid values are 0-3)")
@@ -90,16 +78,25 @@ if(DEFINED OLEVEL )
 endif()
 
 if(GCOV)
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage")
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage")
+  set(FLAGS "${FLAGS} -fprofile-arcs -ftest-coverage" CACHE STRING "Compilation flags")
   set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} -lgcov")
 endif()
 
 if(FAKE_CODE)
-  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DFAKE_CODE")
-  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -DFAKE_CODE")
+  set(FLAGS "${FLAGS} -DFAKE_CODE" CACHE STRING "Compilation flags")
 endif()
 
+
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG "${DEBUG_FLAGS} -DSS_DEBUG")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE "")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-ggdb")
+
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG "${DEBUG_FLAGS} -DSS_DEBUG")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE "")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "-ggdb")
+
 subdirs(MYSQL_DIR_ALL ${MYSQL_DIR})
 foreach(DIR ${MYSQL_DIR_ALL})
   include_directories(${DIR})