diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/add.go b/toolkit/gocui/add.go
index 345b913..b58189e 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/add.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/add.go
@@ -5,21 +5,24 @@ import (
 	"git.wit.org/wit/gui/toolkit"
 )
 
+// TODO: make these defaults in config struct definition
 var fakeStartWidth int = 40
 var fakeStartHeight int = 3
 func (w *cuiWidget) setFake() {
 	w.isFake = true
 	t := len(w.name)
 	// setup fake labels for non-visable things off screen
-	w.realWidth = t + 2
-	w.realHeight = me.defaultHeight
 
-	w.gocuiSize.width = t + 2
-	w.gocuiSize.height = me.defaultHeight
+	w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.PadW
+	w.gocuiSize.height = me.DefaultHeight + me.PadH
 	w.gocuiSize.w0 = fakeStartWidth
 	w.gocuiSize.h0 = fakeStartHeight
 
-	fakeStartHeight += 3
+	w.realWidth = w.gocuiSize.width + me.FramePadW
+	w.realHeight = w.gocuiSize.height + me.FramePadH
+
+	fakeStartHeight += w.realHeight
+	// TODO: use the actual max hight of the terminal window
 	if (fakeStartHeight > 24) {
 		fakeStartHeight = 3
 		fakeStartWidth += 20
@@ -64,11 +67,11 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) addWidget() {
 		return
 	case toolkit.Group:
 		w.startW = w.parent.startW + 4
-		w.startH = w.parent.startH + 3
+		w.startH = w.parent.startH + me.DefaultHeight + me.FramePadH
 
 		t := len(w.text)
-		w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.buttonPadding
-		w.gocuiSize.height = me.defaultHeight
+		w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.FramePadW
+		w.gocuiSize.height = me.DefaultHeight + me.FramePadH
 		return
 	default:
 		w.startW = w.parent.startW
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/common.go b/toolkit/gocui/common.go
index 1b0d61f..09c58f0 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/common.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/common.go
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ func makeWidget(a *toolkit.Action) *cuiWidget {
 
 	t := len(w.text)
 	w.realWidth = t + me.buttonPadding
-	w.realHeight = me.defaultHeight
+	w.realHeight = me.DefaultHeight
 	w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.buttonPadding
-	w.gocuiSize.height = me.defaultHeight
+	w.gocuiSize.height = me.DefaultHeight
 
 	w.widgetType = a.WidgetType
 	w.id = a.WidgetId
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ func makeWidget(a *toolkit.Action) *cuiWidget {
 	// set the gocui view.Frame = true by default
 	w.frame = true
 
+	if (w.frame) {
+		w.realHeight += me.FramePadH
+		w.gocuiSize.height += me.FramePadH
+	}
+
 	if w.widgetType == toolkit.Root {
 		log(logInfo, "setupWidget() FOUND ROOT w.id =", w.id, "w.parent", w.parent, "ParentId =", a.ParentId)
 		w.id = 0
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/main.go b/toolkit/gocui/main.go
index 273da4b..f1a0106 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/main.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/main.go
@@ -15,19 +15,15 @@ func init() {
 	log(logInfo, "Init() of awesome-gocui")
 	Set(&me, "default")
 
-	me.groupPadding = 4
-	me.buttonPadding = 3
-
-	// the raw beginning of each window (or tab)
-	me.rawW = 7
-	me.rawH = 3
+//	me.groupPadding = 4
+//	me.buttonPadding = 3
 
 	// todo, remove all of these
-	me.defaultWidth = 10
-	me.defaultHeight = 2 // this means by default one line of text in a button
+//	me.defaultWidth = 10
+//	me.defaultHeight = 2 // this means by default one line of text in a button
 
-	me.horizontalPadding = 20
-	me.horizontalPadding = 20
+//	me.horizontalPadding = 20
+//	me.horizontalPadding = 20
 	// todo, remove all of these
 
 	me.pluginChan = make(chan toolkit.Action)
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/place.go b/toolkit/gocui/place.go
index 9036771..2ff791a 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/place.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/place.go
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) placeWidgets() {
 	switch w.widgetType {
 	case toolkit.Window:
 		for _, child := range w.children {
-			w.startW = me.rawW
-			w.startH = me.rawH
-			w.nextW = me.rawW
-			w.nextH = me.rawH
+			w.startW = me.RawW
+			w.startH = me.RawH
+			w.nextW = me.RawW
+			w.nextH = me.RawH
 			w.showWidgetPlacement(logNow, "place()")
 			child.placeWidgets()
 			if (w.realWidth < child.realWidth) {
@@ -104,10 +104,10 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) placeWidgets() {
 		}
 	case toolkit.Tab:
 		for _, child := range w.children {
-			w.startW = me.rawW
-			w.startH = me.rawH
-			w.nextW = me.rawW
-			w.nextH = me.rawH
+			w.startW = me.RawW
+			w.startH = me.RawH
+			w.nextW = me.RawW
+			w.nextH = me.RawH
 			w.showWidgetPlacement(logNow, "place()")
 			child.placeWidgets()
 			if (w.realWidth < child.realWidth) {
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/structs.go b/toolkit/gocui/structs.go
index 5eea138..78ca36d 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/structs.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/structs.go
@@ -35,18 +35,30 @@ type config struct {
 	helpLabel *gocui.View
 
 	DefaultBehavior bool `default:"true"`
-	defaultWidth int
-	defaultHeight int
-	// nextW int	// where the next window or tab flag should go
 
-	// the amount to put between winodw tab widgets
-	TabPadW int `default:"4" dense:"2"`
-	// PadH int `default:"3" dense:"2"`
+	// Buttons, Group, Tabs, Windows, etc are by default assumed to be a single line
+	// as a default, we make buttons 8 chars wide
+	DefaultWidth int `default:"8"`
+	DefaultHeight int `default:"1"`
+
+	// When the widget has a frame, like a button, it adds 2 lines runes on each side
+	// so you need 3 char spacing in each direction to not have them overlap
+	// the amount of padding when there is a frame
+	FramePadW int `default:"4" dense:"0"`
+	FramePadH int `default:"1" dense:"0"`
+
+	PadW int `default:"1" dense:"0"`
+	PadH int `default:"1" dense:"0"`
+
+	// additional amount of space to put between window & tab widgets
+	TabPadW int `default:"2" dense:"0"`
+
+	// additional amount of space to indent on a group
+	GroupPadW int `default:"6" dense:"2"`
 
 	// the raw beginning of each window (or tab)
-	rawW int `default:"7"`
-	JWC int `default:"7"`
-	rawH int `default:"3"`
+	RawW int `default:"7"`
+	RawH int `default:"3"`
 
 	bookshelf bool // do you want things arranged in the box like a bookshelf or a stack?
 	canvas bool // if set to true, the windows are a raw canvas
@@ -55,8 +67,8 @@ type config struct {
 	padded bool // add space between things like buttons
 	margin bool // add space around the frames of windows
 
-	horizontalPadding int
-	groupPadding int `default:"6" dense:"2"` // this is supposed to be how far to indent to the left
+// 	horizontalPadding int
+	// groupPadding int `default:"6" dense:"2"` // this is supposed to be how far to indent to the left
 	buttonPadding int `default:"4" dense:"3"` // if 3, buttons slightly overlap
 }
 
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/tab.go b/toolkit/gocui/tab.go
index 7e25545..18f6ec7 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/tab.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/tab.go
@@ -55,19 +55,17 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) showWidgets() {
 func (w *cuiWidget) setTabWH() {
 	// set the start and size of the tab gocui button
 	t := len(w.text)
-	w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.buttonPadding
-	w.gocuiSize.height = me.defaultHeight
+	w.gocuiSize.width = t + me.PadW
+	w.gocuiSize.height = me.DefaultHeight + me.PadH
 	w.gocuiSize.w0 = me.rootNode.nextW
 	w.gocuiSize.h0 = me.rootNode.nextH
 
+	w.realWidth = w.gocuiSize.width + me.FramePadW
+	w.realHeight = w.gocuiSize.height + me.FramePadH
+
 	// move the rootNode width over for the next window or tab
 	me.rootNode.nextW += w.gocuiSize.width + me.TabPadW
 
-	w.startW = me.rawW
-	w.startH = me.rawH
-	w.nextW = me.rawW
-	w.nextH = me.rawH
-
 	w.setWH()
 	w.showWidgetPlacement(logNow, "setTabWH:")
 }
@@ -83,11 +81,6 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) setLabel() {
 	// move the rootNode width over for the next window or tab
 	me.rootNode.nextW += w.gocuiSize.width
 
-	w.startW = me.rawW
-	w.startH = me.rawH
-	w.nextW = me.rawW
-	w.nextH = me.rawH
-
 	w.setWH()
 	w.showWidgetPlacement(logNow, "setLabel:")
 }
diff --git a/toolkit/gocui/view.go b/toolkit/gocui/view.go
index 82d0594..bc5848f 100644
--- a/toolkit/gocui/view.go
+++ b/toolkit/gocui/view.go
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ func (w *cuiWidget) textResize() {
 		}
 		height = i
 	}
-	w.gocuiSize.width = width + 3
-	w.gocuiSize.height = me.defaultHeight + height
+	w.gocuiSize.width = width + me.FramePadW
+	w.gocuiSize.height = height + me.FramePadH
 	w.setWH()
 	w.showWidgetPlacement(logNow, "textResize()")
 }