diff --git a/sandbox/Makefile b/sandbox/Makefile
index 79d50b0..21fe1a8 100644
--- a/sandbox/Makefile
+++ b/sandbox/Makefile
@@ -1,13 +1,33 @@
-SANDBOX_DIR_LIST := $(filter-out ./include/,$(sort $(dir $(wildcard ./*/.))))
+THIS_FILE_PATH := $(abspath $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST)))
+SANDBOX_PROG_MAKEFILE_PATH := $(abspath $(firstword $(MAKEFILE_LIST)))
+SANDBOX_BASE_DIR := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(THIS_FILE_PATH)))
+SANDBOX_PROG_DIR := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(SANDBOX_PROG_MAKEFILE_PATH)))
+BUILD_DIR := $(SANDBOX_BASE_DIR)/../build/sandbox
 
-all:
+include $(SANDBOX_BASE_DIR)/../tools/make/gcc-host.mk
+EXEC_NAME := sandbox
+DIR_LIST := memblock vm base
+INCLUDE_DIRS := $(foreach dir,$(DIR_LIST),"-I$(dir)/include")
+SRC := $(foreach dir,$(DIR_LIST),$(wildcard $(dir)/*.c))
+OBJ := $(addprefix $(BUILD_DIR)/,$(SRC:.c=.o))
+
+CFLAGS := $(INCLUDE_DIRS) -g
+
+all: $(BUILD_DIR)/$(EXEC_NAME)
 	@for prog in $(SANDBOX_DIR_LIST); do \
 		$(MAKE) -C $$prog; \
 	done
 
-clean:
-	@for prog in $(SANDBOX_DIR_LIST); do \
-		$(MAKE) -C $$prog clean; \
-	done
+$(BUILD_DIR)/$(EXEC_NAME): $(OBJ)
+	@mkdir -p $(@D)
 
-.PHONY: all clean
+	@printf "    \033[1;36mHOSTLD\033[0m \033[1mbuild/sandbox/\033[35m$(EXEC_NAME)\n"
+	@$(CC) $^ -o $@ $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS)
+
+$(BUILD_DIR)/%.o: %.c
+	@printf "    \033[1;32mHOSTCC\033[0m sandbox/$<\n"
+	@mkdir -p $(@D)
+
+	@$(CC) $< -o $@ -c $(CFLAGS)
+
+.PHONY: all
diff --git a/sandbox/include/socks/types.h b/sandbox/base/include/socks/types.h
similarity index 100%
rename from sandbox/include/socks/types.h
rename to sandbox/base/include/socks/types.h
diff --git a/sandbox/memblock/main.c b/sandbox/base/main.c
similarity index 60%
rename from sandbox/memblock/main.c
rename to sandbox/base/main.c
index 1a3526d..d02e50f 100644
--- a/sandbox/memblock/main.c
+++ b/sandbox/base/main.c
@@ -2,16 +2,25 @@
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <sys/mman.h>
-#include "memblock.h"
+#include <socks/memblock.h>
 
 /* we're working with 4MiB of simulated system RAM */
-#define MEMORY_SIZE 0x400000ULL
+#define MEMORY_SIZE_MB 128
+
+/* virtual address of where system memory is mapped */
+static void *system_memory = NULL;
+
+#define MEMPTR(offset) ((uintptr_t)system_memory + (offset))
+#define MB_TO_BYTES(v) ((size_t)(v) * 0x100000)
+
+#define PHYS_TO_VIRT(p) ((void *)((uintptr_t)system_memory + (p)))
+#define VIRT_TO_PHYS(p) ((void *)((p) - (uintptr_t)system_memory))
 
 int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
-	void *system_memory = mmap(
+	system_memory = mmap(
 			NULL,
-			MEMORY_SIZE,
+			MB_TO_BYTES(MEMORY_SIZE_MB),
 			PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE,
 			MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANONYMOUS,
 			-1, 0);
@@ -22,9 +31,9 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	printf("allocated 0x%llx bytes of memory to act as system RAM at %p\n", MEMORY_SIZE, system_memory);
+	printf("allocated %u MiB (0x%zx bytes) of memory to act as system RAM at %p\n", MEMORY_SIZE_MB, MB_TO_BYTES(MEMORY_SIZE_MB), system_memory);
 
-	memblock_add(0, MEMORY_SIZE);
+	memblock_add(0, MB_TO_BYTES(MEMORY_SIZE_MB));
 
 	memblock_reserve(0x10000, 0x40000);
 	memblock_reserve(0x60000, 0x20000);
@@ -54,6 +63,6 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 				it.limit);
 	}
 
-	munmap(system_memory, MEMORY_SIZE);
+	munmap(system_memory, MB_TO_BYTES(MEMORY_SIZE_MB));
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/sandbox/memblock/Makefile b/sandbox/memblock/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index 1c7d103..0000000
--- a/sandbox/memblock/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-include ../sandbox-config.mk
-include ../sandbox-template.mk
diff --git a/sandbox/memblock/memblock.h b/sandbox/memblock/include/socks/memblock.h
similarity index 100%
rename from sandbox/memblock/memblock.h
rename to sandbox/memblock/include/socks/memblock.h
diff --git a/sandbox/memblock/memblock.c b/sandbox/memblock/memblock.c
index bde37bc..789c072 100644
--- a/sandbox/memblock/memblock.c
+++ b/sandbox/memblock/memblock.c
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include "memblock.h"
+#include <socks/memblock.h>
 
 #define MIN(a, b) ((a) < (b) ? (a) : (b))
 #define MAX(a, b) ((a) > (b) ? (a) : (b))
diff --git a/sandbox/vm/main.c b/sandbox/vm/main.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 6d885a0..0000000
--- a/sandbox/vm/main.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <sys/mman.h>
-#include "vm.h"
-
-/* amount of memory to allocate for system RAM in megabytes */
-#define SIMULATED_MEMORY_MB 16
-
-#define MEMPTR(offset) ((void *)((uintptr_t)system_memory) + (offset))
-
-int main(int argc, const char **argv)
-{
-	printf("Hello, world!\n");
-
-	void *system_memory = mmap(
-			NULL,
-			SIMULATED_MEMORY_MB * 0x100000,
-			PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE,
-			MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANONYMOUS,
-			-1, 0);
-
-	if (system_memory == MAP_FAILED) {
-		perror("mmap");
-		fprintf(stderr, "cannot allocated simulated system RAM buffer\n");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	munmap(system_memory, SIMULATED_MEMORY_MB * 0x100000);
-	return 0;
-}