diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c9eaaf504..d7d071afe 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "name": "sapper",
   "version": "0.9.3",
   "description": "Military-grade apps, engineered by Svelte",
-  "main": "middleware.js",
+  "main": "dist/middleware.ts.js",
   "bin": {
     "sapper": "./sapper"
   },
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
     "clorox": "^1.0.3",
     "devalue": "^1.0.1",
     "glob": "^7.1.2",
+    "html-minifier": "^3.5.10",
     "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
     "node-fetch": "^1.7.3",
     "polka": "^0.3.4",
diff --git a/src/cli/build.ts b/src/cli/build.ts
index b9a8f080c..60756f6e4 100644
--- a/src/cli/build.ts
+++ b/src/cli/build.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import * as clorox from 'clorox';
 import mkdirp from 'mkdirp';
 import rimraf from 'rimraf';
+import { minify_html } from './utils/minify_html';
 import { create_compilers, create_main_manifests, create_routes, create_serviceworker_manifest } from '../core'
-import { dest } from '../config';
+import { locations } from '../config';
 
 export async function build() {
-	const output = dest();
+	const output = locations.dest();
 
 	mkdirp.sync(output);
 	rimraf.sync(path.join(output, '**/*'));
@@ -40,6 +41,11 @@ export async function build() {
 		console.log(clorox.inverse(`\nbuilt service worker`).toString());
 		console.log(serviceworker_stats.toString({ colors: true }));
 	}
+
+	// minify app/template.html
+	// TODO compile this to a function? could be quicker than str.replace(...).replace(...).replace(...)
+	const template = fs.readFileSync(`${locations.app()}/template.html`, 'utf-8');
+	fs.writeFileSync(`${output}/template.html`, minify_html(template));
 }
 
 function compile(compiler: any) {
diff --git a/src/cli/dev.ts b/src/cli/dev.ts
index f936f38a8..dba4b6799 100644
--- a/src/cli/dev.ts
+++ b/src/cli/dev.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import rimraf from 'rimraf';
 import format_messages from 'webpack-format-messages';
 import prettyMs from 'pretty-ms';
 import * as ports from 'port-authority';
-import { dest } from '../config';
+import { locations } from '../config';
 import { create_compilers, create_main_manifests, create_routes, create_serviceworker_manifest } from '../core';
 
 type Deferred = {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ export async function dev(opts: { port: number }) {
 		port = await ports.find(3000);
 	}
 
-	const dir = dest();
+	const dir = locations.dest();
 	rimraf.sync(dir);
 	mkdirp.sync(dir);
 
@@ -95,12 +95,12 @@ export async function dev(opts: { port: number }) {
 
 	const hot_update_server = create_hot_update_server(dev_port);
 
-	watch_files('routes/**/*', ['add', 'unlink'], () => {
+	watch_files(`${locations.routes()}/**/*`, ['add', 'unlink'], () => {
 		const routes = create_routes();
 		create_main_manifests({ routes, dev_port });
 	});
 
-	watch_files('app/template.html', ['change'], () => {
+	watch_files(`${locations.app()}/template.html`, ['change'], () => {
 		hot_update_server.send({
 			action: 'reload'
 		});
diff --git a/src/cli/export.ts b/src/cli/export.ts
index 6f2efb6a4..91a5c808c 100644
--- a/src/cli/export.ts
+++ b/src/cli/export.ts
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ import cheerio from 'cheerio';
 import URL from 'url-parse';
 import fetch from 'node-fetch';
 import * as ports from 'port-authority';
-import { dest } from '../config';
+import { locations } from '../config';
 
 export async function exporter(export_dir: string) {
-	const build_dir = dest();
+	const build_dir = locations.dest();
 
 	// Prep output directory
 	sander.rimrafSync(export_dir);
diff --git a/src/cli/utils/minify_html.ts b/src/cli/utils/minify_html.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b675c1056
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/utils/minify_html.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { minify } from 'html-minifier';
+
+export function minify_html(html: string) {
+	return minify(html, {
+		collapseBooleanAttributes: true,
+		collapseWhitespace: true,
+		conservativeCollapse: true,
+		decodeEntities: true,
+		html5: true,
+		minifyCSS: true,
+		minifyJS: true,
+		removeAttributeQuotes: true,
+		removeComments: true,
+		removeOptionalTags: true,
+		removeRedundantAttributes: true,
+		removeScriptTypeAttributes: true,
+		removeStyleLinkTypeAttributes: true,
+		sortAttributes: true,
+		sortClassName: true
+	});
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index db59d02db..8f98481ad 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 import * as path from 'path';
 
 export const dev = () => process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production';
-export const src = () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_ROUTES || 'routes');
-export const dest = () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_DEST || '.sapper');
+
+export const locations = {
+	base:   () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_BASE || ''),
+	app:    () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_BASE || '', process.env.SAPPER_APP    || 'app'),
+	routes: () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_BASE || '', process.env.SAPPER_ROUTES || 'routes'),
+	dest:   () => path.resolve(process.env.SAPPER_BASE || '', process.env.SAPPER_DEST   || '.sapper')
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/core/create_manifests.ts b/src/core/create_manifests.ts
index 1fdc57aa8..36143593f 100644
--- a/src/core/create_manifests.ts
+++ b/src/core/create_manifests.ts
@@ -3,18 +3,20 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import * as glob from 'glob';
 import create_routes from './create_routes';
 import { posixify, write_if_changed } from './utils';
-import { dev } from '../config';
+import { dev, locations } from '../config';
 import { Route } from '../interfaces';
 
 export function create_main_manifests({ routes, dev_port }: {
 	routes: Route[];
 	dev_port?: number;
 }) {
-	const client_manifest = generate_client(routes, dev_port);
-	const server_manifest = generate_server(routes);
+	const path_to_routes = path.relative(`${locations.app()}/manifest`, locations.routes());
 
-	write_if_changed(`app/manifest/client.js`, client_manifest);
-	write_if_changed(`app/manifest/server.js`, server_manifest);
+	const client_manifest = generate_client(routes, path_to_routes, dev_port);
+	const server_manifest = generate_server(routes, path_to_routes);
+
+	write_if_changed(`${locations.app()}/manifest/client.js`, client_manifest);
+	write_if_changed(`${locations.app()}/manifest/server.js`, server_manifest);
 }
 
 export function create_serviceworker_manifest({ routes, client_files }: {
@@ -34,10 +36,10 @@ export function create_serviceworker_manifest({ routes, client_files }: {
 		export const routes = [\n\t${routes.filter((r: Route) => r.type === 'page' && !/^_[45]xx$/.test(r.id)).map((r: Route) => `{ pattern: ${r.pattern} }`).join(',\n\t')}\n];
 	`.replace(/^\t\t/gm, '').trim();
 
-	write_if_changed('app/manifest/service-worker.js', code);
+	write_if_changed(`${locations.app()}/manifest/service-worker.js`, code);
 }
 
-function generate_client(routes: Route[], dev_port?: number) {
+function generate_client(routes: Route[], path_to_routes: string, dev_port?: number) {
 	let code = `
 		// This file is generated by Sapper — do not edit it!
 		export const routes = [
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ function generate_client(routes: Route[], dev_port?: number) {
 						return `{ pattern: ${route.pattern}, ignore: true }`;
 					}
 
-					const file = posixify(`../../routes/${route.file}`);
+					const file = posixify(`${path_to_routes}/${route.file}`);
 
 					if (route.id === '_4xx' || route.id === '_5xx') {
 						return `{ error: '${route.id.slice(1)}', load: () => import(/* webpackChunkName: "${route.id}" */ '${file}') }`;
@@ -79,12 +81,12 @@ function generate_client(routes: Route[], dev_port?: number) {
 	return code;
 }
 
-function generate_server(routes: Route[]) {
+function generate_server(routes: Route[], path_to_routes: string) {
 	let code = `
 		// This file is generated by Sapper — do not edit it!
 		${routes
 			.map(route => {
-				const file = posixify(`../../routes/${route.file}`);
+				const file = posixify(`${path_to_routes}/${route.file}`);
 				return route.type === 'page'
 					? `import ${route.id} from '${file}';`
 					: `import * as ${route.id} from '${file}';`;
diff --git a/src/core/create_routes.ts b/src/core/create_routes.ts
index 0a247c0dc..133b865b5 100644
--- a/src/core/create_routes.ts
+++ b/src/core/create_routes.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import * as path from 'path';
 import glob from 'glob';
-import { src } from '../config';
+import { locations } from '../config';
 import { Route } from '../interfaces';
 
-export default function create_routes({ files } = { files: glob.sync('**/*.*', { cwd: src(), nodir: true }) }) {
+export default function create_routes({ files } = { files: glob.sync('**/*.*', { cwd: locations.routes(), nodir: true }) }) {
 	const routes: Route[] = files
 		.map((file: string) => {
 			if (/(^|\/|\\)_/.test(file)) return;
diff --git a/src/middleware.ts b/src/middleware.ts
index d9136247b..bc23a3584 100644
--- a/src/middleware.ts
+++ b/src/middleware.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import rimraf from 'rimraf';
 import devalue from 'devalue';
 import { lookup } from './middleware/mime';
 import { create_routes, create_compilers } from './core';
-import { dest, dev } from './config';
+import { locations, dev } from './config';
 import { Route, Template } from './interfaces';
 import sourceMapSupport from 'source-map-support';
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ interface Req extends ClientRequest {
 export default function middleware({ routes }: {
 	routes: RouteObject[]
 }) {
-	const output = dest();
+	const output = locations.dest();
 
 	const client_info = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(output, 'client_info.json'), 'utf-8'));
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ function serve({ prefix, pathname, cache_control }: {
 		? (req: Req) => req.pathname === pathname
 		: (req: Req) => req.pathname.startsWith(prefix);
 
-	const output = dest();
+	const output = locations.dest();
 
 	const cache: Map<string, Buffer> = new Map();
 
@@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ const resolved = Promise.resolve();
 
 function get_route_handler(chunks: Record<string, string>, routes: RouteObject[]) {
 	const template = dev()
-		? () => fs.readFileSync('app/template.html', 'utf-8')
-		: (str => () => str)(fs.readFileSync('app/template.html', 'utf-8'));
+		? () => fs.readFileSync(`${locations.app()}/template.html`, 'utf-8')
+		: (str => () => str)(fs.readFileSync(`${locations.dest()}/template.html`, 'utf-8'));
 
 	function handle_route(route: RouteObject, req: Req, res: ServerResponse) {
 		req.params = route.params(route.pattern.exec(req.pathname));
diff --git a/src/webpack.ts b/src/webpack.ts
index 7fd3e863d..55b245c38 100644
--- a/src/webpack.ts
+++ b/src/webpack.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { dest, dev } from './config';
+import { locations, dev } from './config';
 
 export default {
 	dev: dev(),
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@ export default {
 	client: {
 		entry: () => {
 			return {
-				main: './app/client'
+				main: `${locations.app()}/client`
 			};
 		},
 
 		output: () => {
 			return {
-				path: `${dest()}/client`,
+				path: `${locations.dest()}/client`,
 				filename: '[hash]/[name].js',
 				chunkFilename: '[hash]/[name].[id].js',
 				publicPath: '/client/'
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ export default {
 	server: {
 		entry: () => {
 			return {
-				server: './app/server'
+				server: `${locations.app()}/server`
 			};
 		},
 
 		output: () => {
 			return {
-				path: dest(),
+				path: locations.dest(),
 				filename: '[name].js',
 				chunkFilename: '[hash]/[name].[id].js',
 				libraryTarget: 'commonjs2'
@@ -40,13 +40,13 @@ export default {
 	serviceworker: {
 		entry: () => {
 			return {
-				'service-worker': './app/service-worker'
+				'service-worker': `${locations.app()}/service-worker`
 			};
 		},
 
 		output: () => {
 			return {
-				path: dest(),
+				path: locations.dest(),
 				filename: '[name].js',
 				chunkFilename: '[name].[id].[hash].js'
 			}