diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index e96772b627a9d..dabf442a8b04f 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -85,24 +85,13 @@
                      "  use pip or easy_install."
                      "\n   $ pip install 'python-dateutil < 2' 'numpy'")
 
-try:
-    import numpy as np
-except ImportError:
-    nonumpy_msg = ("# numpy needed to finish setup.  run:\n\n"
-                   "    $ pip install numpy  # or easy_install numpy\n")
-    sys.exit(nonumpy_msg)
-
-if np.__version__ < '1.6.1':
-    msg = "pandas requires NumPy >= 1.6.1 due to datetime64 dependency"
-    sys.exit(msg)
-
 from distutils.extension import Extension
 from distutils.command.build import build
 from distutils.command.sdist import sdist
-from distutils.command.build_ext import build_ext
+from distutils.command.build_ext import build_ext as _build_ext
 
 try:
-    from Cython.Distutils import build_ext
+    from Cython.Distutils import build_ext as _build_ext
     # from Cython.Distutils import Extension # to get pyrex debugging symbols
     cython = True
 except ImportError:
@@ -110,6 +99,17 @@
 
 from os.path import splitext, basename, join as pjoin
 
+
+class build_ext(_build_ext):
+    def build_extensions(self):
+        numpy_incl = pkg_resources.resource_filename('numpy', 'core/include')
+
+        for ext in self.extensions:
+            if hasattr(ext, 'include_dirs') and not numpy_incl in ext.include_dirs:
+                ext.include_dirs.append(numpy_incl)
+        _build_ext.build_extensions(self)
+
+
 DESCRIPTION = ("Powerful data structures for data analysis, time series,"
                "and statistics")
 LONG_DESCRIPTION = """
@@ -340,10 +340,7 @@ def check_cython_extensions(self, extensions):
 
     def build_extensions(self):
         self.check_cython_extensions(self.extensions)
-        self.check_extensions_list(self.extensions)
-
-        for ext in self.extensions:
-            self.build_extension(ext)
+        build_ext.build_extensions(self)
 
 
 class CompilationCacheMixin(object):
@@ -576,7 +573,7 @@ def srcpath(name=None, suffix='.pyx', subdir='src'):
     lib_depends = []
     plib_depends = []
 
-common_include = [np.get_include(), 'pandas/src/klib', 'pandas/src']
+common_include = ['pandas/src/klib', 'pandas/src']
 
 
 def pxd(name):
@@ -635,7 +632,7 @@ def pxd(name):
 
 sparse_ext = Extension('pandas._sparse',
                        sources=[srcpath('sparse', suffix=suffix)],
-                       include_dirs=[np.get_include()],
+                       include_dirs=[],
                        libraries=libraries)
 
 
@@ -657,7 +654,7 @@ def pxd(name):
 cppsandbox_ext = Extension('pandas._cppsandbox',
                            language='c++',
                            sources=[srcpath('cppsandbox', suffix=suffix)],
-                           include_dirs=[np.get_include()])
+                           include_dirs=[])
 
 extensions.extend([sparse_ext, parser_ext])