You need a more elaborate construct to get the return value from make, if you want to execute it in a pipeline via /bin/sh. Try this (untested): 
chop (my $status = `((make -f $params 2>&1 3>&-; echo \$? >&3 ) | tee 
+-a build.log 1>&2 3>&- ) 3>&1`);
print "make exit status: $status\n";

[download]

update: added backslash to escape $?

--shmem 

_($_=" "x(1<<5)."?\n".q·/)Oo.  G°\        /
                              /\_¯/(q    /
----------------------------  \__(m.====·.(_("always off the crowd"))."·
");sub _{s./.($e="'Itrs `mnsgdq Gdbj O`qkdq")=~y/"-y/#-z/;$e.e && print}

In reply to Re: Capture Exit Code Using Pipe & Tee by shmem
in thread Capture Exit Code Using Pipe & Tee by Anonymous Monk

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