diff --git a/lib/core/config.js b/lib/core/config.js
index 1f31300a9..e1da619e7 100644
--- a/lib/core/config.js
+++ b/lib/core/config.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Config.prototype.loadConfigFiles = function(options) {
     interceptLogs = true;
   }
 
-  if(!fs.existsSync(options.embarkConfig)){
+  if (!fs.existsSync(options.embarkConfig)){
     this.logger.error('Cannot find file ' + options.embarkConfig + '. Please ensure you are running this command inside the Dapp folder');
     process.exit(1);
   }
@@ -61,18 +61,33 @@ Config.prototype.reloadConfig = function() {
   this.loadChainTrackerFile();
 };
 
-Config.prototype.loadBlockchainConfigFile = function() {
-  var defaultBlockchainConfig = {};
-  if (fs.existsSync(this.configDir + "blockchain.json")) {
-    defaultBlockchainConfig = fs.readJSONSync(this.configDir + "blockchain.json");
+Config.prototype._mergeConfig = function(configFilename, defaultConfig, env) {
+  let configFilePath = this.configDir + configFilename;
+  if (!fs.existsSync(configFilePath)) {
+    this.logger.warn("no config file found at " + configFilePath + ". using default config");
+    return defaultConfig['default'] || {};
   }
-  this.blockchainConfig = defaultBlockchainConfig[this.env] || {};
 
-  if (this.blockchainConfig.enabled === undefined) {
-    this.blockchainConfig.enabled = true;
+  let config = fs.readJSONSync(configFilePath);
+  let configObject = utils.recursiveMerge(defaultConfig, config);
+
+  if (env) {
+    return utils.recursiveMerge(configObject['default'] || {}, configObject[env]);
+  } else {
+    return utils.recursiveMerge(configObject || {}, configObject || {});
   }
 };
 
+Config.prototype.loadBlockchainConfigFile = function() {
+  var configObject = {
+    "default": {
+      "enabled": true
+    }
+  };
+
+  this.blockchainConfig = this._mergeConfig("blockchain.json", configObject, this.env);
+};
+
 Config.prototype.loadContractsConfigFile = function() {
   var configObject = {
     "default": {
@@ -81,9 +96,7 @@ Config.prototype.loadContractsConfigFile = function() {
         "solc": "0.4.17"
       },
       "deployment": {
-        "host": "localhost",
-        "port": 8545,
-        "type": "rpc"
+        "host": "localhost", "port": 8545, "type": "rpc"
       },
       "dappConnection": [
         "$WEB3",
@@ -100,16 +113,7 @@ Config.prototype.loadContractsConfigFile = function() {
     configObject = utils.recursiveMerge(configObject, pluginConfig);
   });
 
-  var contractsConfig;
-  if (fs.existsSync(this.configDir + "contracts.json")) {
-    contractsConfig = fs.readJSONSync(this.configDir + "contracts.json");
-    configObject = utils.recursiveMerge(configObject, contractsConfig);
-  }
-  var defaultContractsConfig = configObject['default'];
-  var envContractsConfig = configObject[this.env];
-
-  var mergedConfig = utils.recursiveMerge(defaultContractsConfig, envContractsConfig);
-  this.contractsConfig = mergedConfig;
+  this.contractsConfig = this._mergeConfig("contracts.json", configObject, this.env);
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadStorageConfigFile = function() {
@@ -125,29 +129,10 @@ Config.prototype.loadStorageConfigFile = function() {
       "host": "localhost",
       "port": 5001,
       "getUrl": "http://localhost:8080/ipfs/"
-    },
-    "development": {
     }
   };
 
-  var storageConfig;
-  if (fs.existsSync(this.configDir + "storage.json")) {
-    storageConfig = fs.readJSONSync(this.configDir + "storage.json");
-    configObject = utils.recursiveMerge(configObject, storageConfig);
-  }
-
-  var defaultStorageConfig = configObject['default'];
-  var envStorageConfig = configObject[this.env];
-
-  var mergedConfig = utils.recursiveMerge(defaultStorageConfig, envStorageConfig);
-  this.storageConfig = mergedConfig || {};
-
-  if (this.storageConfig.enabled === undefined) {
-    this.storageConfig.enabled = true;
-  }
-  if (this.storageConfig.available_providers === undefined) {
-    this.storageConfig.available_providers = [];
-  }
+  this.storageConfig = this._mergeConfig("storage.json", configObject, this.env);
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadCommunicationConfigFile = function() {
@@ -157,48 +142,20 @@ Config.prototype.loadCommunicationConfigFile = function() {
       "provider": "whisper",
       "available_providers": ["whisper", "orbit"],
       "connection": {
-        "host": "localhost",
-        "port": 8546,
-        "type": "ws"
+        "host": "localhost", "port": 8546, "type": "ws"
       }
     }
   };
 
-  var communicationConfig;
-
-  if (fs.existsSync(this.configDir + "communication.json")) {
-    communicationConfig = fs.readJSONSync(this.configDir + "communication.json");
-    configObject = utils.recursiveMerge(configObject, communicationConfig);
-  }
-
-  var defaultCommunicationConfig = configObject['default'];
-  var envCommunicationConfig = configObject[this.env];
-
-  var mergedConfig = utils.recursiveMerge(defaultCommunicationConfig, envCommunicationConfig);
-  this.communicationConfig = mergedConfig || {};
-
-  // TODO: probably not necessary if the default object is done right
-  if (this.communicationConfig.enabled === undefined) {
-    this.communicationConfig.enabled = true;
-  }
-  if (this.communicationConfig.available_providers === undefined) {
-    this.communicationConfig.available_providers = [];
-  }
+  this.communicationConfig = this._mergeConfig("communication.json", configObject, this.env);
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadWebServerConfigFile = function() {
-  var webServerConfigJSON;
-  if (fs.existsSync(this.configDir + "webserver.json")) {
-    webServerConfigJSON = fs.readJSONSync(this.configDir + "webserver.json");
-  } else {
-    webServerConfigJSON = {};
-  }
-  var defaultWebConfig = {
-    "enabled": true,
-    "host": "localhost",
-    "port": 8000
+  var configObject = {
+    "enabled": true, "host": "localhost", "port": 8000
   };
-  this.webServerConfig = utils.recursiveMerge(defaultWebConfig, webServerConfigJSON);
+
+  this.webServerConfig = this._mergeConfig("webserver.json", configObject, false);
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadEmbarkConfigFile = function() {
@@ -223,17 +180,12 @@ Config.prototype.loadPipelineConfigFile = function() {
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadChainTrackerFile = function() {
-  //var self = this;
-  var chainTracker;
-  try {
-    chainTracker = fs.readJSONSync(this.chainsFile);
-  }
-  catch(err) {
-    //self.logger.info(this.chainsFile + ' file not found, creating it...');
-    chainTracker = {};
+  if (!fs.existsSync(this.chainsFile)) {
+    this.logger.info(this.chainsFile + ' file not found, creating it...');
     fs.writeJSONSync(this.chainsFile, {});
   }
-  this.chainTracker = chainTracker;
+
+  this.chainTracker = fs.readJSONSync(this.chainsFile);
 };
 
 Config.prototype.loadFiles = function(files) {
@@ -249,20 +201,18 @@ Config.prototype.loadFiles = function(files) {
 
   var filesFromPlugins = [];
   var filePlugins = self.plugins.getPluginsFor('pipelineFiles');
-  if (filePlugins.length > 0) {
-    filePlugins.forEach(function(plugin) {
-      try {
-        var fileObjects = plugin.runFilePipeline();
-        for (var i=0; i < fileObjects.length; i++) {
-          var fileObject = fileObjects[i];
-          filesFromPlugins.push(fileObject);
-        }
+  filePlugins.forEach(function(plugin) {
+    try {
+      var fileObjects = plugin.runFilePipeline();
+      for (var i=0; i < fileObjects.length; i++) {
+        var fileObject = fileObjects[i];
+        filesFromPlugins.push(fileObject);
       }
-      catch(err) {
-        self.logger.error(err.message);
-      }
-    });
-  }
+    }
+    catch(err) {
+      self.logger.error(err.message);
+    }
+  });
   filesFromPlugins.filter(function(file) {
     if (utils.fileMatchesPattern(files, file.intendedPath)) {
       readFiles.push(file);
@@ -276,17 +226,14 @@ Config.prototype.loadPluginContractFiles = function() {
   var self = this;
 
   var contractsPlugins = this.plugins.getPluginsFor('contractFiles');
-  if (contractsPlugins.length > 0) {
-    contractsPlugins.forEach(function(plugin) {
-      plugin.contractsFiles.forEach(function(file) {
-        var filename = file.replace('./','');
-        //self.contractsFiles.push({filename: filename, content: plugin.loadPluginFile(file), path: plugin.pathToFile(file)});
-        self.contractsFiles.push(new File({filename: filename, type: 'custom', resolver: function(callback) {
-          callback(plugin.loadPluginFile(file));
-        }}));
-      });
+  contractsPlugins.forEach(function(plugin) {
+    plugin.contractsFiles.forEach(function(file) {
+      var filename = file.replace('./','');
+      self.contractsFiles.push(new File({filename: filename, type: 'custom', resolver: function(callback) {
+        callback(plugin.loadPluginFile(file));
+      }}));
     });
-  }
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports = Config;