diff --git a/elements/base/README.md b/elements/base/README.md
index b88a603f..e1746c29 100644
--- a/elements/base/README.md
+++ b/elements/base/README.md
@@ -10,3 +10,8 @@ Notes:
    This may be as simple as having language-pack-XX installed in the
    pre-install stage
 
+ * This element ensures /tmp/ccache will be available in the chroot
+   during the root, extra-data, pre-install, install and post-install
+   stages.  /tmp/ccache is unavailable during block-device, finalise
+   and cleanup stages as it will have been automatically unmounted
+   by then.
diff --git a/elements/base/cleanup.d/01-ccache b/elements/base/cleanup.d/01-ccache
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..fd23437a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/base/cleanup.d/01-ccache
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -e
+
+# As this is run in cleanup, it's already been automatically unmounted,
+# so all we need to do here is remove the directory
+sudo rmdir $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache || true
diff --git a/elements/base/finalise.d/02-remove-ccache b/elements/base/finalise.d/02-remove-ccache
deleted file mode 100755
index b550f726..00000000
--- a/elements/base/finalise.d/02-remove-ccache
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-rmdir /tmp/ccache || true
diff --git a/elements/base/root.d/01-ccache b/elements/base/root.d/01-ccache
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..2bad4646
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/base/root.d/01-ccache
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -e
+
+# Don't do anything if already mounted (if disk-image-create is invoked with
+# no elements specified, this hook actually fires twice, once during
+# `run_d root` for the base element, then again when `run_d root` is called
+# after automatically pulling in the Ubuntu element)
+grep " $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache" /proc/mounts && exit
+
+DIB_CCACHE_DIR=${DIB_CCACHE_DIR:-$HOME/.cache/image-create/ccache}
+mkdir -p $DIB_CCACHE_DIR
+
+sudo mkdir -p $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache
+sudo mount --bind $DIB_CCACHE_DIR $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache
diff --git a/lib/common-functions b/lib/common-functions
index 19df7c4e..712f2c87 100644
--- a/lib/common-functions
+++ b/lib/common-functions
@@ -241,8 +241,10 @@ function create_base () {
     export TMP_MOUNT_PATH=$TMP_BUILD_DIR/mnt
     # Copy data in to the root.
     TARGET_ROOT=$TMP_MOUNT_PATH run_d root
-    if [ -z "$(ls $TMP_MOUNT_PATH | grep -v lost+found)" ] ; then
-        # Nothing copied in, use Ubuntu.
+    if [ -z "$(ls $TMP_MOUNT_PATH | grep -v '^lost+found\|tmp$')" ] ; then
+        # Nothing copied in, use Ubuntu.  Note the test above allows
+        # root.d elements to put things in /tmp, and still have the
+        # automatic Ubuntu behaviour.
         echo "Adding ubuntu element as / had no contents"
         IMAGE_ELEMENT=$($SCRIPT_HOME/element-info --expand-dependencies $IMAGE_ELEMENT ubuntu)
         generate_hooks
diff --git a/lib/img-defaults b/lib/img-defaults
index 8054a539..31419515 100644
--- a/lib/img-defaults
+++ b/lib/img-defaults
@@ -20,4 +20,3 @@ FS_TYPE=${FS_TYPE:-ext4}
 # Used to set the file extension only at this stage.
 IMAGE_TYPE=${IMAGE_TYPE:-qcow2}
 IMAGE_NAME=${IMAGE_NAME:-image}
-DIB_CCACHE_DIR=${DIB_CCACHE_DIR:-~/.cache/image-create/ccache}
diff --git a/lib/img-functions b/lib/img-functions
index cfb3f548..7d0f51e9 100644
--- a/lib/img-functions
+++ b/lib/img-functions
@@ -75,9 +75,6 @@ function run_d_in_target () {
       sudo mkdir $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/in_target.d
       sudo mount --bind ${TMP_HOOKS_PATH} $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/in_target.d
       sudo mount -o remount,ro,bind ${TMP_HOOKS_PATH} $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/in_target.d
-      sudo mkdir -p $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache
-      mkdir -p $DIB_CCACHE_DIR
-      sudo mount --bind $DIB_CCACHE_DIR $TMP_MOUNT_PATH/tmp/ccache
       check_break before-$1 run_in_target bash
       trap "check_break after-error run_in_target bash" ERR
       run_in_target dib-run-parts /tmp/in_target.d/$1.d