diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f0228f7..f2eff9d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -151,6 +151,8 @@ The screen on which every other node renders.
 - **resizeTimeout** - amount of time (in ms) to redraw the screen after the
   terminal is resized (default: 300).
 - **tabSize** - the width of tabs within an element's content.
+- **autoPadding** - automatically position child elements with border and
+  padding in mind.
 
 ##### Properties:
 
diff --git a/lib/widget.js b/lib/widget.js
index 138fa9d..4b01182 100644
--- a/lib/widget.js
+++ b/lib/widget.js
@@ -282,6 +282,8 @@ function Screen(options) {
   this.tput = this.program.tput;
   this.output = this.program.output;
 
+  this.autoPadding = options.autoPadding;
+
   this.tabc = Array((options.tabSize || 4) + 1).join(' ');
   this.dattr = ((0 << 18) | (0x1ff << 9)) | 0x1ff;
 
@@ -292,6 +294,20 @@ function Screen(options) {
     bottom: this.bottom = this.rbottom = 0
   };
 
+  this.ileft = 0;
+  this.itop = 0;
+  this.iright = 0;
+  this.ibottom = 0;
+  this.iheight = 0;
+  this.iwidth = 0;
+
+  this.padding = {
+    left: 0,
+    top: 0,
+    right: 0,
+    bottom: 0
+  };
+
   this.hover = null;
   this.history = [];
   this.clickable = [];
@@ -1703,6 +1719,13 @@ function Element(options) {
     height: options.height
   };
 
+  // if (options.position.left == null && options.position.right == null) {
+  //   options.position.left = 0;
+  // }
+  // if (options.position.top == null && options.position.bottom == null) {
+  //   options.position.top = 0;
+  // }
+
   if (options.position.width === 'shrink'
       || options.position.height === 'shrink') {
     if (options.position.width === 'shrink') {
@@ -1792,6 +1815,10 @@ function Element(options) {
       style: this.style.label,
       fixed: true
     }));
+    if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+      this.children[this.children.length-1].rleft = -this.ileft + 2;
+      this.children[this.children.length-1].rtop = -this.itop;
+    }
   }
 
   // TODO: Possibly move this to Node for screen.on('mouse', ...).
@@ -2286,7 +2313,7 @@ Screen.prototype._getPos = function() {
 Element.prototype._getPos = function() {
   var pos = this.lpos;
 
-  assert.ok(pos && !pos.changed);
+  assert.ok(pos);
 
   if (pos.left != null) return pos;
 
@@ -2300,20 +2327,6 @@ Element.prototype._getPos = function() {
   return pos;
 };
 
-Element.prototype._bindPosChanged = function() {
-  function changed() {
-    self.forDescendants(function(el) {
-      if (el.lpos) el.lpos.changed = true;
-    }, true);
-  }
-
-  this.on('move', changed);
-  // Resize might be tricky because it's
-  // emitted recursively for a screen resize.
-  this.on('resize', changed);
-  this.on('reparent', changed);
-};
-
 /**
  * Position Getters
  */
@@ -2342,6 +2355,11 @@ Element.prototype._getWidth = function(get) {
       left = parent.width * left | 0;
     }
     width = parent.width - (this.position.right || 0) - left;
+    if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+      width -= ((this.position.left != null || this.position.right == null)
+        && this.position.left !== 'center' ? this.parent.ileft : 0);
+      width -= (this.position.right != null ? this.parent.iright : 0);
+    }
   }
 
   return width;
@@ -2375,6 +2393,11 @@ Element.prototype._getHeight = function(get) {
       top = parent.height * top | 0;
     }
     height = parent.height - (this.position.bottom || 0) - top;
+    if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+      height -= ((this.position.top != null || this.position.bottom == null)
+        && this.position.top !== 'center' ? this.parent.itop : 0);
+      height -= (this.position.bottom != null ? this.parent.ibottom : 0);
+    }
   }
 
   return height;
@@ -2401,6 +2424,13 @@ Element.prototype._getLeft = function(get) {
     return this.screen.cols - this._getWidth(get) - this._getRight(get);
   }
 
+  if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+    if ((this.position.left != null || this.position.right == null)
+        && this.position.left !== 'center') {
+      left += this.parent.ileft;
+    }
+  }
+
   return (parent.left || 0) + left;
 };
 
@@ -2411,9 +2441,17 @@ Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('left', function() {
 Element.prototype._getRight = function(get) {
   var parent = get ? this.parent._getPos() : this.parent;
   if (this.position.right == null && this.position.left != null) {
-    return this.screen.cols - (this._getLeft(get) + this._getWidth(get));
+    var right = this.screen.cols - (this._getLeft(get) + this._getWidth(get));
+    if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+      right += (this.position.right != null ? this.parent.iright : 0);
+    }
+    return right;
   }
-  return (parent.right || 0) + (this.position.right || 0);
+  var right = (parent.right || 0) + (this.position.right || 0);
+  if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+    right += (this.position.right != null ? this.parent.iright : 0);
+  }
+  return right;
 };
 
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('right', function() {
@@ -2437,6 +2475,13 @@ Element.prototype._getTop = function(get) {
     return this.screen.rows - this._getHeight(get) - this._getBottom(get);
   }
 
+  if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+    if ((this.position.top != null || this.position.bottom == null)
+        && this.position.top !== 'center') {
+      top += this.parent.itop;
+    }
+  }
+
   return (parent.top || 0) + top;
 };
 
@@ -2447,9 +2492,17 @@ Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('top', function() {
 Element.prototype._getBottom = function(get) {
   var parent = get ? this.parent._getPos() : this.parent;
   if (this.position.bottom == null && this.position.top != null) {
-    return this.screen.rows - (this._getTop(get) + this._getHeight(get));
+    var bottom = this.screen.rows - (this._getTop(get) + this._getHeight(get));
+    if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+      bottom += (this.position.bottom != null ? this.parent.ibottom : 0);
+    }
+    return bottom;
   }
-  return (parent.bottom || 0) + (this.position.bottom || 0);
+  var bottom = (parent.bottom || 0) + (this.position.bottom || 0);
+  if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+    bottom += (this.position.bottom != null ? this.parent.ibottom : 0);
+  }
+  return bottom;
 };
 
 Element.prototype.__defineGetter__('bottom', function() {
@@ -2630,10 +2683,18 @@ Element.prototype._getShrinkBox = function(xi, xl, yi, yl) {
       || this.position.right == null)) {
     if (this.position.left == null && this.position.right != null) {
       xi = xl - (mxl - mxi);
-      xi -= this.padding.left + this.padding.right;
+      if (!this.screen.autoPadding) {
+        xi -= this.padding.left + this.padding.right;
+      } else {
+        xi -= this.padding.left;
+      }
     } else {
       xl = mxl;
-      xl += this.padding.left + this.padding.right;
+      if (!this.screen.autoPadding) {
+        xl += this.padding.left + this.padding.right;
+      } else {
+        xl += this.padding.right;
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -2643,10 +2704,18 @@ Element.prototype._getShrinkBox = function(xi, xl, yi, yl) {
       && !this.scrollable) {
     if (this.position.top == null && this.position.bottom != null) {
       yi = yl - (myl - myi);
-      yi -= this.padding.top + this.padding.bottom;
+      if (!this.screen.autoPadding) {
+        yi -= this.padding.top + this.padding.bottom;
+      } else {
+        yi -= this.padding.top;
+      }
     } else {
       yl = myl;
-      yl += this.padding.top + this.padding.bottom;
+      if (!this.screen.autoPadding) {
+        yl += this.padding.top + this.padding.bottom;
+      } else {
+        yl += this.padding.bottom;
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -3822,6 +3891,12 @@ List.prototype.add = function(item) {
     focusEffects: this.mouse ? this.style.item.focus : null
   };
 
+  if (this.screen.autoPadding) {
+    options.top = this.items.length;
+    options.left = 1;
+    options.right = 1;
+  }
+
   ['bg', 'fg', 'bold', 'underline',
    'blink', 'inverse', 'invisible'].forEach(function(name) {
     options[name] = function() {
diff --git a/test/widget.js b/test/widget.js
index 0b0f7d3..9ebb643 100644
--- a/test/widget.js
+++ b/test/widget.js
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ list.prepend(blessed.text({
   content: ' My list '
 }));
 
+if (screen.autoPadding) {
+  list.children[0].rleft = -list.ileft + 2;
+  list.children[0].rtop = -list.itop;
+}
+
 list.on('keypress', function(ch, key) {
   if (key.name === 'up' || key.name === 'k') {
     list.up();