diff --git a/redo/layout_windows.go b/redo/layout_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58f7872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/redo/layout_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+// 4 august 2014
+
+package ui
+
+// TODO clean this up relative to window_windows.go
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"unsafe"
+)
+
+// #include "winapi_windows.h"
+import "C"
+
+type layout struct {
+	hwnd		C.HWND
+
+	closing		*event
+
+	*sizer
+}
+
+func newLayout(title string, width int, height int, child C.BOOL, control Control) *layout {
+	l := &layout{
+		// hwnd set in WM_CREATE handler
+		closing:		newEvent(),
+		sizer:		new(sizer),
+	}
+	hwnd := C.newWindow(toUTF16(title), C.int(width), C.int(height), child, unsafe.Pointer(l))
+	if hwnd != l.hwnd {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("inconsistency: hwnd returned by CreateWindowEx() (%p) and hwnd stored in window/layout (%p) differ", hwnd, l.hwnd))
+	}
+	l.child = control
+	l.child.setParent(&controlParent{l.hwnd})
+	return l
+}
+
+//export storeWindowHWND
+func storeWindowHWND(data unsafe.Pointer, hwnd C.HWND) {
+	l := (*layout)(data)
+	l.hwnd = hwnd
+}
+
+//export windowResize
+func windowResize(data unsafe.Pointer, r *C.RECT) {
+	l := (*layout)(data)
+	// the origin of the window's content area is always (0, 0), but let's use the values from the RECT just to be safe
+	l.resize(int(r.left), int(r.top), int(r.right - r.left), int(r.bottom - r.top))
+}
+
+//export windowClosing
+func windowClosing(data unsafe.Pointer) {
+	l := (*layout)(data)
+	close := l.closing.fire()
+	if close {
+		C.windowClose(l.hwnd)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/redo/winapi_windows.h b/redo/winapi_windows.h
index 8c7b807..285bbcd 100644
--- a/redo/winapi_windows.h
+++ b/redo/winapi_windows.h
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ extern LONG controlTextLength(HWND, LPWSTR);
 
 /* window_windows.c */
 extern DWORD makeWindowWindowClass(char **);
-extern HWND newWindow(LPWSTR, int, int, void *);
+extern HWND newWindow(LPWSTR, int, int, BOOL, void *);
 extern void windowClose(HWND);
 
 /* common_windows.c */
diff --git a/redo/window_windows.c b/redo/window_windows.c
index 9cf0654..67a4440 100644
--- a/redo/window_windows.c
+++ b/redo/window_windows.c
@@ -60,20 +60,29 @@ DWORD makeWindowWindowClass(char **errmsg)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-HWND newWindow(LPWSTR title, int width, int height, void *data)
+HWND newWindow(LPWSTR title, int width, int height, BOOL child, void *data)
 {
 	HWND hwnd;
+	DWORD style;
+	HWND parent;
 
+	style = WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW;
+	parent = NULL;
+	if (child) {
+		style = WS_CHILD;
+		parent = msgwin;
+	}
 	hwnd = CreateWindowExW(
 		0,
 		windowclass, title,
-		WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW,
+		style,
 		CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT,
 		width, height,
-		NULL, NULL, hInstance, data);
+		parent, NULL, hInstance, data);
 	if (hwnd == NULL)
 		xpanic("Window creation failed", GetLastError());
-	calculateBaseUnits(hwnd);
+	if (!child)
+		calculateBaseUnits(hwnd);
 	return hwnd;
 }
 
diff --git a/redo/window_windows.go b/redo/window_windows.go
index 341f226..3306613 100644
--- a/redo/window_windows.go
+++ b/redo/window_windows.go
@@ -5,24 +5,16 @@ package ui
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"syscall"
-	"unsafe"
 )
 
 // #include "winapi_windows.h"
 import "C"
 
 type window struct {
-	hwnd		C.HWND
+	*layout
 	shownbefore	bool
-
-	closing		*event
-
-	*sizer
 }
 
-const windowclassname = ""
-var windowclassptr = syscall.StringToUTF16Ptr(windowclassname)
-
 func makeWindowWindowClass() error {
 	var errmsg *C.char
 
@@ -35,21 +27,13 @@ func makeWindowWindowClass() error {
 
 func newWindow(title string, width int, height int, control Control) *window {
 	w := &window{
-		// hwnd set in WM_CREATE handler
-		closing:		newEvent(),
-		sizer:		new(sizer),
-	}
-	hwnd := C.newWindow(toUTF16(title), C.int(width), C.int(height), unsafe.Pointer(w))
-	if hwnd != w.hwnd {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("inconsistency: hwnd returned by CreateWindowEx() (%p) and hwnd stored in window (%p) differ", hwnd, w.hwnd))
+		layout:	newLayout(title, width, height, C.FALSE, control),
 	}
 	// TODO keep?
 	hresult := C.EnableThemeDialogTexture(w.hwnd, C.ETDT_ENABLE | C.ETDT_USETABTEXTURE)
 	if hresult != C.S_OK {
 		panic(fmt.Errorf("error setting tab background texture on Window; HRESULT: 0x%X", hresult))
 	}
-	w.child = control
-	w.child.setParent(&controlParent{w.hwnd})
 	return w
 }
 
@@ -82,25 +66,3 @@ func (w *window) Close() {
 func (w *window) OnClosing(e func() bool) {
 	w.closing.setbool(e)
 }
-
-//export storeWindowHWND
-func storeWindowHWND(data unsafe.Pointer, hwnd C.HWND) {
-	w := (*window)(data)
-	w.hwnd = hwnd
-}
-
-//export windowResize
-func windowResize(data unsafe.Pointer, r *C.RECT) {
-	w := (*window)(data)
-	// the origin of the window's content area is always (0, 0), but let's use the values from the RECT just to be safe
-	w.resize(int(r.left), int(r.top), int(r.right - r.left), int(r.bottom - r.top))
-}
-
-//export windowClosing
-func windowClosing(data unsafe.Pointer) {
-	w := (*window)(data)
-	close := w.closing.fire()
-	if close {
-		C.windowClose(w.hwnd)
-	}
-}