How to create a .deb package from compiled source files?

Question:

Mono 3.0 is out, but I found no ppa from where I could install it.

There is this one: https://launchpad.net/~directhex/+ppa-packages

but it's mono 2.10.8.1-5.

I'm playing with ASP.NET MVC4, which is why I need the 3.0 release.

Now I can compile & install mono 3.0 myself. How I do it, I tutorialized here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1591370

My problem now is, for every new ubuntu installation I have/want to make (server, laptop, desktop, renewed installation when HD breakes) I need to go through this lengthy procedure again.

So I want to compile it once, and then upload it to a PPA, so that I (and everybody else) don't need to install it from source again.

Now the question: The entire build process needs configure run with options, post-configure makefile fixes, post-configure sourcecode fixes, etc.

Is there an easy way I can create .deb packages from the already compiled files ?

So that in the installation script, I only need to write several times:

cd package_directory_1/
make install
cd package_directory_2/
make install
cd package_directory_3/
make install

etc.

?


checkinstall, as per tip from Tachyons

apt-get install checkinstall 

checkinstall -D make install

See here for further information:
http://www.falkotimme.com/howtos/checkinstall/