diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 741a8ab7ee..0eea94e114 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -75,18 +75,18 @@ addons:
             - gcc-5
             - g++-5
             - clang-3.8
+            - seabios
 # we must set CXX manually instead of using 'language: cpp' due to
 # travis-ci/travis-ci#3871
 before_script:
     - export CXX=${CC/cc/++}
     - export CXX=${CXX/clang/clang++}
 script:
-    - ( [ "x${RANDCONFIG}" = "xy" ] && ( make -C xen randconfig )
-      || exit 0 )
-    - ( ./configure --disable-tools --disable-stubdom --enable-docs &&
-      make dist )
+    - ./scripts/travis-build
 after_script:
     - cat xen/.config
+    - cat tools/config.log
+    - cat docs/config.log
 notifications:
     irc:
         channels:
diff --git a/scripts/travis-build b/scripts/travis-build
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..b553f20a71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/travis-build
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/bin/bash -ex
+
+# random config or default config
+if [[ "${RANDCONFIG}" == "y" ]]; then
+    make -C xen randconfig
+else
+    make -C xen defconfig
+fi
+
+# build up our configure options
+cfgargs=()
+cfgargs+=("--disable-stubdom") # more work needed into building this
+cfgargs+=("--disable-rombios")
+cfgargs+=("--enable-docs")
+cfgargs+=("--with-system-seabios=/usr/share/seabios/bios.bin")
+
+if [[ "${XEN_TARGET_ARCH}" == "x86_64" ]]; then
+    cfgargs+=("--enable-tools")
+else
+    cfgargs+=("--disable-tools") # we don't have the cross depends installed
+fi
+
+# Due to multiple build failures and the desire to get more
+# build testing (GCC only) enabled this is disabled
+if [[ "${clang}" == "y" ]]; then
+    cfgargs+=("--disable-tools")
+fi
+
+./configure "${cfgargs[@]}"
+
+make dist