diff --git a/hugolib/path_seperators_test.go b/hugolib/path_seperators_test.go
index f1d3a8687..3478e55cd 100644
--- a/hugolib/path_seperators_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/path_seperators_test.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func TestNewPageWithFilePath(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestSettingOutFileOnPageContainsCorrectSlashes(t *testing.T) {
-	s := NewSite(&Config{})
+	s := &Site{Config: Config{}}
 	p := NewPage(filepath.Join("sub", "foobar"))
 	s.setOutFile(p)
 }
diff --git a/hugolib/site.go b/hugolib/site.go
index c3a65f80e..8ed61ae2e 100644
--- a/hugolib/site.go
+++ b/hugolib/site.go
@@ -30,8 +30,10 @@ import (
 
 const slash = string(os.PathSeparator)
 
+var DefaultTimer = nitro.Initalize()
+
 type Site struct {
-	c           Config
+	Config           Config
 	Pages       Pages
 	Tmpl        *template.Template
 	Indexes     IndexList
@@ -56,8 +58,11 @@ func (s *Site) getFromIndex(kind string, name string) Pages {
 	return s.Indexes[kind][name]
 }
 
-func NewSite(config *Config) *Site {
-	return &Site{c: *config, timer: nitro.Initalize()}
+func (s *Site) timerStep(step string) {
+	if s.timer == nil {
+		s.timer = DefaultTimer
+	}
+	s.timer.Step(step)
 }
 
 func (site *Site) Build() (err error) {
@@ -79,39 +84,39 @@ func (site *Site) Analyze() {
 func (site *Site) Process() (err error) {
 	site.initialize()
 	site.prepTemplates()
-	site.timer.Step("initialize & template prep")
+	site.timerStep("initialize & template prep")
 	site.CreatePages()
 	site.setupPrevNext()
-	site.timer.Step("import pages")
+	site.timerStep("import pages")
 	if err = site.BuildSiteMeta(); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
-	site.timer.Step("build indexes")
+	site.timerStep("build indexes")
 	return
 }
 
 func (site *Site) Render() (err error) {
 	site.ProcessShortcodes()
-	site.timer.Step("render shortcodes")
+	site.timerStep("render shortcodes")
 	site.AbsUrlify()
-	site.timer.Step("absolute URLify")
+	site.timerStep("absolute URLify")
 	site.RenderIndexes()
 	site.RenderIndexesIndexes()
-	site.timer.Step("render and write indexes")
+	site.timerStep("render and write indexes")
 	site.RenderLists()
-	site.timer.Step("render and write lists")
+	site.timerStep("render and write lists")
 	if err = site.RenderPages(); err != nil {
 		return
 	}
-	site.timer.Step("render pages")
+	site.timerStep("render pages")
 	site.RenderHomePage()
-	site.timer.Step("render and write homepage")
+	site.timerStep("render and write homepage")
 	return
 }
 
 func (site *Site) Write() {
 	site.WritePages()
-	site.timer.Step("write pages")
+	site.timerStep("write pages")
 }
 
 func (site *Site) checkDescriptions() {
@@ -146,14 +151,14 @@ func (s *Site) prepTemplates() {
 				return err
 			}
 			text := string(filetext)
-			name := path[len(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.LayoutDir))+1:]
+			name := path[len(s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.LayoutDir))+1:]
 			t := templates.New(name)
 			template.Must(t.Parse(text))
 		}
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	filepath.Walk(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.LayoutDir), walker)
+	filepath.Walk(s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.LayoutDir), walker)
 
 	s.Tmpl = templates
 }
@@ -178,21 +183,33 @@ func (s *Site) initialize() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	filepath.Walk(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.ContentDir), walker)
+	filepath.Walk(s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.ContentDir), walker)
 
-	s.Info = SiteInfo{BaseUrl: template.URL(s.c.BaseUrl), Title: s.c.Title, Config: &s.c}
+	s.Info = SiteInfo{BaseUrl: template.URL(s.Config.BaseUrl), Title: s.Config.Title, Config: &s.Config}
 
 	s.Shortcodes = make(map[string]ShortcodeFunc)
 }
 
+func (s *Site) absLayoutDir() string {
+	return s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.LayoutDir)
+}
+
+func (s *Site) absContentDir() string {
+	return s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.ContentDir)
+}
+
+func (s *Site) absPublishDir() string {
+	return s.Config.GetAbsPath(s.Config.PublishDir)
+}
+
 func (s *Site) checkDirectories() {
-	if b, _ := dirExists(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.LayoutDir)); !b {
-		FatalErr("No layout directory found, expecting to find it at " + s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.LayoutDir))
+	if b, _ := dirExists(s.absLayoutDir()); !b {
+		FatalErr("No layout directory found, expecting to find it at " + s.absLayoutDir())
 	}
-	if b, _ := dirExists(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.ContentDir)); !b {
-		FatalErr("No source directory found, expecting to find it at " + s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.ContentDir))
+	if b, _ := dirExists(s.absContentDir()); !b {
+		FatalErr("No source directory found, expecting to find it at " + s.absContentDir())
 	}
-	mkdirIf(s.c.GetAbsPath(s.c.PublishDir))
+	mkdirIf(s.absPublishDir())
 }
 
 func (s *Site) ProcessShortcodes() {
@@ -204,11 +221,11 @@ func (s *Site) ProcessShortcodes() {
 func (s *Site) AbsUrlify() {
 	for i, _ := range s.Pages {
 		content := string(s.Pages[i].Content)
-		content = strings.Replace(content, " src=\"/", " src=\""+s.c.BaseUrl, -1)
-		content = strings.Replace(content, " src='/", " src='"+s.c.BaseUrl, -1)
-		content = strings.Replace(content, " href='/", " href='"+s.c.BaseUrl, -1)
-		content = strings.Replace(content, " href=\"/", " href=\""+s.c.BaseUrl, -1)
-		baseWithoutTrailingSlash := strings.TrimRight(s.c.BaseUrl, "/")
+		content = strings.Replace(content, " src=\"/", " src=\""+s.Config.BaseUrl+"/", -1)
+		content = strings.Replace(content, " src='/", " src='"+s.Config.BaseUrl+"/", -1)
+		content = strings.Replace(content, " href='/", " href='"+s.Config.BaseUrl+"/", -1)
+		content = strings.Replace(content, " href=\"/", " href=\""+s.Config.BaseUrl+"/", -1)
+		baseWithoutTrailingSlash := strings.TrimRight(s.Config.BaseUrl, "/")
 		content = strings.Replace(content, baseWithoutTrailingSlash+"//", baseWithoutTrailingSlash+"/", -1)
 		s.Pages[i].Content = template.HTML(content)
 	}
@@ -220,7 +237,7 @@ func (s *Site) CreatePages() {
 		page.Site = s.Info
 		page.Tmpl = s.Tmpl
 		s.setOutFile(page)
-		if s.c.BuildDrafts || !page.Draft {
+		if s.Config.BuildDrafts || !page.Draft {
 			s.Pages = append(s.Pages, page)
 		}
 	}
@@ -244,7 +261,7 @@ func (s *Site) BuildSiteMeta() (err error) {
 	s.Indexes = make(IndexList)
 	s.Sections = make(Index)
 
-	for _, plural := range s.c.Indexes {
+	for _, plural := range s.Config.Indexes {
 		s.Indexes[plural] = make(Index)
 		for i, p := range s.Pages {
 			vals := p.GetParam(plural)
@@ -272,7 +289,7 @@ func (s *Site) BuildSiteMeta() (err error) {
 	s.Info.Indexes = s.Indexes.BuildOrderedIndexList()
 
 	if len(s.Pages) == 0 {
-		return errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Unable to build site metadata, no pages found in directory %s", s.c.ContentDir))
+		return errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Unable to build site metadata, no pages found in directory %s", s.Config.ContentDir))
 	}
 	s.Info.LastChange = s.Pages[0].Date
 
@@ -304,7 +321,7 @@ func (s *Site) WritePages() {
 func (s *Site) setOutFile(p *Page) {
 	if len(strings.TrimSpace(p.Slug)) > 0 {
 		// Use Slug if provided
-		if s.c.UglyUrls {
+		if s.Config.UglyUrls {
 			p.OutFile = strings.TrimSpace(p.Slug + "." + p.Extension)
 		} else {
 			p.OutFile = strings.TrimSpace(p.Slug + slash + "index.html")
@@ -315,7 +332,7 @@ func (s *Site) setOutFile(p *Page) {
 	} else {
 		// Fall back to filename
 		_, t := filepath.Split(p.FileName)
-		if s.c.UglyUrls {
+		if s.Config.UglyUrls {
 			p.OutFile = replaceExtension(strings.TrimSpace(t), p.Extension)
 		} else {
 			file, _ := fileExt(strings.TrimSpace(t))
@@ -325,13 +342,13 @@ func (s *Site) setOutFile(p *Page) {
 }
 
 func (s *Site) RenderIndexes() error {
-	for singular, plural := range s.c.Indexes {
+	for singular, plural := range s.Config.Indexes {
 		for k, o := range s.Indexes[plural] {
 			n := s.NewNode()
 			n.Title = strings.Title(k)
 			url := Urlize(plural + slash + k)
 			plink := url
-			if s.c.UglyUrls {
+			if s.Config.UglyUrls {
 				n.Url = url + ".html"
 				plink = n.Url
 			} else {
@@ -349,7 +366,7 @@ func (s *Site) RenderIndexes() error {
 			}
 
 			var base string
-			if s.c.UglyUrls {
+			if s.Config.UglyUrls {
 				base = plural + "/" + k
 			} else {
 				base = plural + "/" + k + "/" + "index"
@@ -360,7 +377,7 @@ func (s *Site) RenderIndexes() error {
 			if a := s.Tmpl.Lookup("rss.xml"); a != nil {
 				// XML Feed
 				y := s.NewXMLBuffer()
-				if s.c.UglyUrls {
+				if s.Config.UglyUrls {
 					n.Url = Urlize(plural + "/" + k + ".xml")
 				} else {
 					n.Url = Urlize(plural + "/" + k + "/" + "index.xml")
@@ -374,10 +391,10 @@ func (s *Site) RenderIndexes() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (s *Site) RenderIndexesIndexes() {
+func (s *Site) RenderIndexesIndexes() (err error) {
 	layout := "indexes" + slash + "indexes.html"
 	if s.Tmpl.Lookup(layout) != nil {
-		for singular, plural := range s.c.Indexes {
+		for singular, plural := range s.Config.Indexes {
 			n := s.NewNode()
 			n.Title = strings.Title(plural)
 			url := Urlize(plural)
@@ -388,10 +405,12 @@ func (s *Site) RenderIndexesIndexes() {
 			n.Data["Index"] = s.Indexes[plural]
 			n.Data["OrderedIndex"] = s.Info.Indexes[plural]
 
-			x := s.RenderThing(n, layout)
+			x, err := s.RenderThing(n, layout)
 			s.WritePublic(plural+slash+"index.html", x.Bytes())
+			return err
 		}
 	}
+	return
 }
 
 func (s *Site) RenderLists() error {
@@ -455,7 +474,7 @@ func (s *Site) RenderHomePage() error {
 
 func (s *Site) Stats() {
 	fmt.Printf("%d pages created \n", len(s.Pages))
-	for _, pl := range s.c.Indexes {
+	for _, pl := range s.Config.Indexes {
 		fmt.Printf("%d %s created\n", len(s.Indexes[pl]), pl)
 	}
 }
@@ -481,13 +500,13 @@ func (s *Site) NewXMLBuffer() *bytes.Buffer {
 
 func (s *Site) WritePublic(path string, content []byte) {
 
-	if s.c.Verbose {
+	if s.Config.Verbose {
 		fmt.Println(path)
 	}
 
 	path, filename := filepath.Split(path)
 
-	path = filepath.FromSlash(s.c.GetAbsPath(filepath.Join(s.c.PublishDir, path)))
+	path = filepath.FromSlash(s.Config.GetAbsPath(filepath.Join(s.Config.PublishDir, path)))
 	err := mkdirIf(path)
 
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 8b91bee86..d89b9f10c 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	if *checkMode {
-		site := hugolib.NewSite(config)
+		site := hugolib.Site{Config: *config}
 		site.Analyze()
 		os.Exit(0)
 	}
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ func serve(port string, config *hugolib.Config) {
 
 func buildSite(config *hugolib.Config) (site *hugolib.Site, err error) {
 	startTime := time.Now()
-	site = hugolib.NewSite(config)
+	site = &hugolib.Site{Config: *config}
 	err = site.Build()
 	if err != nil {
 		return