diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 075f91973c..23ce2b7a74 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -10,6 +10,15 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.24)
 # include our cmake snippets
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 
+# Require out-of-source builds
+file(TO_CMAKE_PATH "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/CMakeLists.txt" LOC_PATH)
+if(EXISTS "${LOC_PATH}")
+  message(
+    FATAL_ERROR
+      "You cannot build in a source directory (or any directory with a CMakeLists.txt file). "
+      "Please make a build subdirectory.")
+endif()
+
 # =================================================================================================
 # PROJECT AND VERSION
 include(CMakeDependentOption)
@@ -31,15 +40,6 @@ project(
 
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/modules")
 
-# Require out-of-source builds
-file(TO_CMAKE_PATH "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/CMakeLists.txt" LOC_PATH)
-if(EXISTS "${LOC_PATH}")
-  message(
-    FATAL_ERROR
-      "You cannot build in a source directory (or any directory with a CMakeLists.txt file). Please make a build subdirectory."
-  )
-endif()
-
 # set language and standard.
 #
 # cmake does not provide any mechanism to set the fortran standard. Adding the