diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 66496958..aa3cdad4 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ option(USE_BUNDLED_DEPS "Bundle hard to find dependencies into the Falco binary"
 option(BUILD_WARNINGS_AS_ERRORS "Enable building with -Wextra -Werror flags" OFF)
 option(USE_BUNDLED_DEPS "Enable bundled dependencies instead of using the system ones" OFF)
 
+# Elapsed time
+# set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY RULE_LAUNCH_COMPILE "${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E time") # TODO(fntlnz, leodido): add a flag to enable this
+
 # Make flag for parallel processing
 include(ProcessorCount)
 processorcount(PROCESSOR_COUNT)
@@ -244,16 +247,6 @@ ExternalProject_Add(
   BUILD_COMMAND ${CMD_MAKE} COPT="-DNO_FILES" WITH_CPP=1
   INSTALL_COMMAND ${CMD_MAKE} install-lib install-headers PREFIX=${CIVETWEB_SRC}/install "WITH_CPP=1 OPENSSL_API_1_1")
 
-# c-ares
-# TODO(fntlnz, leodido): c-ares is only needed for grpc? In case remove here!
-find_path(CARES_INCLUDE NAMES ares.h)
-find_library(CARES_LIB NAMES libcares.so)
-if(CARES_INCLUDE AND CARES_LIB)
-  message(STATUS "Found c-ares: include: ${CARES_INCLUDE}, lib: ${CARES_LIB}")
-else()
-  message(FATAL_ERROR "Couldn't find system c-ares")
-endif()
-
 # gRPC
 include(gRPC)
 
diff --git a/cmake/modules/gRPC.cmake b/cmake/modules/gRPC.cmake
index 6497b607..1557f213 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/gRPC.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/gRPC.cmake
@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@ if(NOT USE_BUNDLED_DEPS)
     message(STATUS "Found zlib: include: ${ZLIB_INCLUDE}, lib: ${ZLIB_LIB}")
   endif()
 
+  # c-ares
+  find_path(CARES_INCLUDE NAMES ares.h)
+  find_library(CARES_LIB NAMES libcares.so)
+  if(CARES_INCLUDE AND CARES_LIB)
+    message(STATUS "Found c-ares: include: ${CARES_INCLUDE}, lib: ${CARES_LIB}")
+  else()
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Couldn't find system c-ares")
+  endif()
+
   # protobuf
   find_program(PROTOC NAMES protoc)
   find_path(PROTOBUF_INCLUDE NAMES google/protobuf/message.h)
@@ -55,7 +64,9 @@ if(NOT USE_BUNDLED_DEPS)
   if(NOT GRPC_CPP_PLUGIN)
     message(FATAL_ERROR "System grpc_cpp_plugin not found")
   endif()
+
 else()
+
   find_package(PkgConfig)
   if(NOT PKG_CONFIG_FOUND)
     message(FATAL_ERROR "pkg-config binary not found")
@@ -89,12 +100,11 @@ else()
 
   set(GRPC_BUILD_FLAGS ${PROCESSOUR_COUNT_MAKE_FLAG})
 
-  # "cd ${ZLIB_INCLUDE} && ./configure && make"
   ExternalProject_Add(
     grpc
     GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git
     GIT_TAG v1.8.1
-    GIT_SUBMODULES ""
+    GIT_SUBMODULES "third_party/protobuf third_party/zlib third_party/cares/cares"
     BUILD_IN_SOURCE 1
     BUILD_BYPRODUCTS ${GRPC_LIB} ${GRPCPP_LIB}
     INSTALL_COMMAND ""