diff --git a/action/ensure.go b/action/ensure.go
index 041cfce..2f5f5af 100644
--- a/action/ensure.go
+++ b/action/ensure.go
@@ -59,11 +59,6 @@
 	return conf
 }
 
-// EnsureCacheDir ensures the existence of the cache directory
-func EnsureCacheDir() {
-	msg.Warn("ensure.go: ensureCacheDir is not implemented.")
-}
-
 // EnsureGoVendor ensures that the Go version is correct.
 func EnsureGoVendor() {
 	// 6l was removed in 1.5, when vendoring was introduced.
@@ -148,7 +143,6 @@
 	return ""
 }
 
-
 // goExecutable checks for a set environment variable of GLIDE_GO_EXECUTABLE
 // for the go executable name. The Google App Engine SDK ships with a python
 // wrapper called goapp
diff --git a/action/init.go b/action/init.go
index b0c29da..2094902 100644
--- a/action/init.go
+++ b/action/init.go
@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@
 // Init initializes the action subsystem for handling one or more subesequent actions.
 func Init(yaml, home string) {
 	gpath.GlideFile = yaml
-	gpath.HomeDir = home
+	gpath.SetHome(home)
 }
diff --git a/cache/cache.go b/cache/cache.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f4732f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cache/cache.go
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// Package cache provides an interface for interfacing with the Glide local cache
+package cache
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	gpath "github.com/Masterminds/glide/path"
+)
+
+// Location returns the location of the cache.
+func Location() string {
+	return filepath.Join(gpath.Home(), "cache")
+}
diff --git a/glide.go b/glide.go
index e205796..2f75f07 100644
--- a/glide.go
+++ b/glide.go
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@
 
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"os/user"
 )
 
 var version = "0.11.0-dev"
@@ -97,7 +96,7 @@
 		},
 		cli.StringFlag{
 			Name:   "home",
-			Value:  defaultGlideDir(),
+			Value:  gpath.Home(),
 			Usage:  "The location of Glide files",
 			EnvVar: "GLIDE_HOME",
 		},
@@ -444,7 +443,7 @@
 				installer.UseGopath = c.Bool("use-gopath")
 				installer.UseCacheGopath = c.Bool("cache-gopath")
 				installer.UpdateVendored = c.Bool("update-vendored")
-				installer.Home = gpath.Home()
+				installer.Home = c.GlobalString("home")
 				installer.DeleteUnused = c.Bool("deleteOptIn")
 
 				action.Install(installer, c.Bool("strip-vcs"), c.Bool("strip-vendor"))
@@ -557,7 +556,7 @@
 				installer.UseCacheGopath = c.Bool("cache-gopath")
 				installer.UpdateVendored = c.Bool("update-vendored")
 				installer.ResolveAllFiles = c.Bool("all-dependencies")
-				installer.Home = gpath.Home()
+				installer.Home = c.GlobalString("home")
 				installer.DeleteUnused = c.Bool("deleteOptIn")
 
 				action.Update(installer, c.Bool("no-recursive"), c.Bool("strip-vcs"), c.Bool("strip-vendor"))
@@ -649,14 +648,6 @@
 	}
 }
 
-func defaultGlideDir() string {
-	c, err := user.Current()
-	if err != nil {
-		return ""
-	}
-	return filepath.Join(c.HomeDir, ".glide")
-}
-
 // startup sets up the base environment.
 //
 // It does not assume the presence of a Glide.yaml file or vendor/ directory,
diff --git a/path/path.go b/path/path.go
index 9e7162f..0b19442 100644
--- a/path/path.go
+++ b/path/path.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 )
@@ -20,10 +21,8 @@
 // As of Go 1.5, this is always vendor.
 var VendorDir = "vendor"
 
-// HomeDir is the home directory for Glide.
-//
-// HomeDir is where cache files and other configuration data are stored.
-var HomeDir = "$HOME/.glide"
+// Cache the location of the homedirectory.
+var homeDir = ""
 
 // GlideFile is the name of the Glide file.
 //
@@ -38,12 +37,29 @@
 //
 // This normalizes to an absolute path, and passes through os.ExpandEnv.
 func Home() string {
-	h := os.ExpandEnv(HomeDir)
-	var err error
-	if h, err = filepath.Abs(HomeDir); err != nil {
-		return HomeDir
+	if homeDir != "" {
+		return homeDir
 	}
-	return h
+
+	// Initialize the default user.
+	u, err := user.Current()
+	if err == nil && u.HomeDir != "" {
+		homeDir = filepath.Join(u.HomeDir, ".glide")
+	} else {
+		cwd, err := os.Getwd()
+		if err == nil {
+			homeDir = filepath.Join(cwd, ".glide")
+		} else {
+			homeDir = ".glide"
+		}
+	}
+
+	return homeDir
+}
+
+// SetHome sets the home directory for Glide.
+func SetHome(h string) {
+	homeDir = h
 }
 
 // Vendor calculates the path to the vendor directory.