diff --git a/cmake/GtsamBuildTypes.cmake b/cmake/GtsamBuildTypes.cmake
index 96a0f11f3..fc2b51027 100644
--- a/cmake/GtsamBuildTypes.cmake
+++ b/cmake/GtsamBuildTypes.cmake
@@ -60,18 +60,18 @@ mark_as_advanced(GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING GTSAM_C
 
 # Apply the gtsam specific build flags as normal variables. This makes it so that they only
 # apply to the gtsam part of the build if gtsam is built as a subproject
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS   ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS})
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG})
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO})
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE})
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_PROFILING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_PROFILING})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_PROFILING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_PROFILING})
-set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING})
-set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING})
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS                  "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS                "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG            "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_DEBUG}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG          "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_DEBUG}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO   "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE          "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE        "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_PROFILING        "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_PROFILING} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_PROFILING}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_PROFILING      "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_PROFILING} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_PROFILING}")
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING           "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_C_FLAGS_TIMING}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING         "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING} ${GTSAM_CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_TIMING}")
 
 set(CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_TIMING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_TIMING})
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_TIMING ${GTSAM_CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_TIMING})
diff --git a/gtsam/CMakeLists.txt b/gtsam/CMakeLists.txt
index d3229427e..07cbbd3a6 100644
--- a/gtsam/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/gtsam/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -136,6 +136,13 @@ else()
     set(GTSAM_EXPORTED_TARGETS "${GTSAM_EXPORTED_TARGETS}" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endif()
 
+# make sure that ccolamd compiles even in face of warnings
+if(WIN32)
+    set_source_files_properties(${3rdparty_srcs} PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "/w")
+else()
+    set_source_files_properties(${3rdparty_srcs} PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "-Wno-error")
+endif()
+
 # Special cases
 if(MSVC)
 	set_property(SOURCE