diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/.gitignore b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..92f623a179
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+packages/
+Debug/
+Release/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/Build/build.msbuild b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/Build/build.msbuild
index 0038c876f0..0d28100087 100644
--- a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/Build/build.msbuild
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/Build/build.msbuild
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
-    <ManagedProjects Include="$(SolutionDir)test\signalrclient-testhost\signalrclient-testhost.csproj" />
+    <!-- TestHost is an ASP.NET app, will replace with a ASP.NET Core app -->
+    <!-- <ManagedProjects Include="$(SolutionDir)test\signalrclient-testhost\signalrclient-testhost.csproj" /> -->
     <!--
     <ManagedProjects Include="$(SolutionDir)\samples\SignalRServer\SignalRServer.csproj" />
     -->
diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj
index 1d27170709..70deb273f8 100644
--- a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     </ProjectConfiguration>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <ClCompile Include="googletest\googletest\src\gtest-all.cc" />
+    <ClCompile Include="$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\src\gtest-all.cc" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <PropertyGroup Label="Globals">
     <VCProjectVersion>15.0</VCProjectVersion>
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
       <SDLCheck>true</SDLCheck>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;_DEBUG;_LIB;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ConformanceMode>true</ConformanceMode>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>googletest\googletest\include;googletest\googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
       <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@
       <SDLCheck>true</SDLCheck>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>_DEBUG;_LIB;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ConformanceMode>true</ConformanceMode>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>googletest\googletest\include;googletest\googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
       <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
       <SDLCheck>true</SDLCheck>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;NDEBUG;_LIB;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ConformanceMode>true</ConformanceMode>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>googletest\googletest\include;googletest\googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
       <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
       <SDLCheck>true</SDLCheck>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>NDEBUG;_LIB;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
       <ConformanceMode>true</ConformanceMode>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>googletest\googletest\include;googletest\googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
       <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj.filters b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj.filters
index 37e451bbd1..a2bafdf454 100644
--- a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj.filters
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/gtest/gtest.vcxproj.filters
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
     </Filter>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <ClCompile Include="googletest\googletest\src\gtest-all.cc">
+    <ClCompile Include="$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\src\gtest-all.cc">
       <Filter>Source Files</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
   </ItemGroup>
diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclient-e2e-tests/Build/VS/signalrclient-e2e-tests.vcxproj b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclient-e2e-tests/Build/VS/signalrclient-e2e-tests.vcxproj
index 8195bbc355..225b2ead3d 100644
--- a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclient-e2e-tests/Build/VS/signalrclient-e2e-tests.vcxproj
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclient-e2e-tests/Build/VS/signalrclient-e2e-tests.vcxproj
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
   <ItemDefinitionGroup>
     <ClCompile>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>_SILENCE_TR1_NAMESPACE_DEPRECATION_WARNING;_CONSOLE;_LIB;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>..\..\..\gtest\googletest\googletest\include;..\..\..\..\include\signalrclient;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;..\..\..\..\include\signalrclient;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <DebugInformationFormat>ProgramDatabase</DebugInformationFormat>
     </ClCompile>
     <Link>
diff --git a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclienttests/Build/VS/signalrclienttests.vcxproj b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclienttests/Build/VS/signalrclienttests.vcxproj
index 09141d175b..13f4da38e7 100644
--- a/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclienttests/Build/VS/signalrclienttests.vcxproj
+++ b/src/SignalR/clients/cpp/test/signalrclienttests/Build/VS/signalrclienttests.vcxproj
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
   <ItemDefinitionGroup>
     <ClCompile>
       <PreprocessorDefinitions>_SILENCE_TR1_NAMESPACE_DEPRECATION_WARNING;_CONSOLE;_LIB;NO_SIGNALRCLIENT_EXPORTS;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
-      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>..\..\..\gtest\googletest\googletest\include;..\..\..\..\include;..\..\..\..\src\signalrclient;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
+      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(GoogleTestSubmoduleRoot)googletest\include;..\..\..\..\include;..\..\..\..\src\signalrclient;%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
       <DebugInformationFormat>ProgramDatabase</DebugInformationFormat>
       <TreatWarningAsError Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">true</TreatWarningAsError>
       <TreatWarningAsError Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">true</TreatWarningAsError>