diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0b4bcc7..5cfa85c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ vendor/bundle
 build/*
 .kitchen/
 *.lock
+.kitchen.local.yml
diff --git a/.kitchen.yml b/.kitchen.yml
index 965f121..4c002a2 100644
--- a/.kitchen.yml
+++ b/.kitchen.yml
@@ -28,4 +28,13 @@ suites:
       cmake:
         install_method: source
         source:
-          version: 2.8.12.2
+          version: 3.2.3
+          checksum: "a1ebcaf6d288eb4c966714ea457e3b9677cdfde78820d0f088712d7320850297"
+  - name: binary
+    run_list:
+      - recipe[cmake]
+    attributes:
+      cmake:
+        install_method: binary
+        binary:
+          prefix: "/opt/local"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4f1c98b..d74c8af 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -47,10 +47,13 @@ This cookbook installs the cmake components if not present, and pulls updates if
 ## Attributes
 
 ```ruby
-default["cmake"]["install_method"] = "package" # `package` or `source`
+default["cmake"]["install_method"] = "package" # `package`, `source`, or `binary`
 
-default["cmake"]["source"]["version"] = "2.8.12.2"
-default["cmake"]["source"]["checksum"] = "8c6574e9afabcb9fc66f463bb1f2f051958d86c85c37fccf067eb1a44a120e5e"
+default["cmake"]["source"]["version"] = "3.2.3"
+default["cmake"]["source"]["checksum"] = "e7be87a6cfc403785ab9d5846a70be2c27b17fda6a9b7442e9fc7af45c077d63"
+
+default["cmake"]["binary"]["version"] = "LATEST"
+default["cmake"]["binary"]["prefix"]  = "/usr/local"
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/attributes/binary.rb b/attributes/binary.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..686366b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/attributes/binary.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#
+# Cookbook:: cmake
+# Attributes:: binary
+#
+
+# have to defer getting latest version until after git is installed.
+# Ideally, git would be run on the host rather than the guest so that
+# git didn't have to be installed
+default["cmake"]["binary"]["version"] = "LATEST"
+default["cmake"]["binary"]["repo"]    = "https://github.com/Kitware/CMake.git"
+default["cmake"]["binary"]["prefix"]  = "/usr/local"
+
+case node["kernel"]["machine"]
+when "amd64", "x86_64"
+  default["cmake"]["binary"]["architecture"] = "x86_64"
+when "i386", "i686"
+  default["cmake"]["binary"]["architecture"] = "i386"
+else
+  fail "Unsupported processor: '#{node['kernel']['machine']}'"
+end
+
+case node["platform"]
+when "debian", "ubuntu", "redhat", "centos", "fedora"
+  default["cmake"]["binary"]["platform"] = "Linux"
+else
+  fail "Unsupported platform: '#{node['platform']}'"
+end
diff --git a/attributes/default.rb b/attributes/default.rb
index 6088c51..fd22d45 100644
--- a/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/attributes/default.rb
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 # Attributes:: default
 #
 
-default["cmake"]["install_method"] = "package" # `package` or `source`
+# `package`, `source`, or `binary`
+default["cmake"]["install_method"] = "package"
diff --git a/attributes/source.rb b/attributes/source.rb
index 025897a..b408a5a 100644
--- a/attributes/source.rb
+++ b/attributes/source.rb
@@ -3,5 +3,6 @@
 # Attributes:: source
 #
 
-default["cmake"]["source"]["version"] = "2.8.12.2"
-default["cmake"]["source"]["checksum"] = "8c6574e9afabcb9fc66f463bb1f2f051958d86c85c37fccf067eb1a44a120e5e"
+# TODO: make this use the "LATEST", like `binary`
+default["cmake"]["source"]["version"] = "3.2.3"
+default["cmake"]["source"]["checksum"] = "a1ebcaf6d288eb4c966714ea457e3b9677cdfde78820d0f088712d7320850297"
diff --git a/metadata.rb b/metadata.rb
index 403aafc..c33eec8 100644
--- a/metadata.rb
+++ b/metadata.rb
@@ -14,3 +14,4 @@
 supports "fedora"
 
 suggests "build-essential"
+suggests "git"
diff --git a/recipes/_binary.rb b/recipes/_binary.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3980fc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipes/_binary.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#
+# Cookbook:: cmake
+# Recipe:: _binary
+#
+
+cache_dir = Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]
+cmake_platform = node["cmake"]["binary"]["platform"]
+cmake_arch     = node["cmake"]["binary"]["architecture"]
+cmake_repo     = node["cmake"]["binary"]["repo"]
+cmake_prefix   = node["cmake"]["binary"]["prefix"]
+
+package "git" do
+  action :install
+  only_if { node["cmake"]["binary"]["version"] == "LATEST" }
+end
+
+ruby_block "get latest" do
+  block do
+    if node["cmake"]["binary"]["version"] == "LATEST"
+      vers = []
+      IO.popen("git ls-remote -t #{cmake_repo}").each do |line|
+        m = line.match(%r{^\S+\s+refs\/tags\/v(\d+.\d+.\d+)$})
+        if m
+          vers.push(Gem::Version.new(m[1])) # sort semver-ly
+        end
+      end
+      vers.sort
+      node.set["cmake"]["binary"]["version"] = vers[-1].to_s
+    end
+    node.set["cmake"]["binary"]["sh"] = "cmake-#{node['cmake']['binary']['version']}-#{cmake_platform}-#{cmake_arch}.sh" # rubocop:disable LineLength
+  end
+end
+
+remote_file "get sh" do
+  path lazy { "#{cache_dir}/#{node['cmake']['binary']['sh']}" }
+  source lazy { "http://www.cmake.org/files/v#{node['cmake']['binary']['version'][/^\d\.\d/, 0]}/#{node['cmake']['binary']['sh']}" } # rubocop:disable LineLength
+end
+
+directory "prefix" do
+  path lazy { cmake_prefix }
+  owner 'root'
+  group 'root'
+  mode '0755'
+  action :create
+end
+
+execute "cmake install" do
+  command lazy { "bash #{cache_dir}/#{node['cmake']['binary']['sh']} --prefix=#{cmake_prefix} --exclude-subdir" } # rubocop:disable LineLength
+  cwd "/tmp"
+  creates "#{cmake_prefix}/bin/cmake"
+end
diff --git a/spec/binary_spec.rb b/spec/binary_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c4f6f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/binary_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+require "spec_helper"
+
+describe "cmake::_binary" do
+  let(:chef_run) do
+    ChefSpec::Runner.new do |node|
+      node.set["cmake"]["install_method"] = "binary"
+    end.converge("git", described_recipe)
+  end
+
+end