diff --git a/lib/middleman/base.rb b/lib/middleman/base.rb
index 315dc2b0..be3ea213 100755
--- a/lib/middleman/base.rb
+++ b/lib/middleman/base.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ require 'rubygems' unless ENV['NO_RUBYGEMS']
 # We're riding on Sinatra, so let's include it
 require 'sinatra/base'
 
+class Sinatra::Request
+  attr_accessor :layout
+end
+
 module Middleman
   class Base < Sinatra::Base
     set :app_file, __FILE__
@@ -53,9 +57,9 @@ module Middleman
 
     # Base case renderer (do nothing), Should be over-ridden
     module StaticRender
-      def render_path(path)
+      def render_path(path, layout)
         if template_exists?(path, :erb)
-          erb(path.to_sym)
+          erb(path.to_sym, :layout => layout)
         else
           false
         end
@@ -63,8 +67,7 @@ module Middleman
     end
     include StaticRender
 
-    # This will match all requests not overridden in the project's init.rb
-    not_found do
+    def process_request
       # Normalize the path and add index if we're looking at a directory
       path = request.path
       path << options.index_file if path.match(%r{/$})
@@ -73,7 +76,7 @@ module Middleman
       # layout(:"layout.html") # Insert the .html into the layout name like the rest of the templates
 
       # If the enabled renderers succeed, return the content, mime-type and an HTTP 200
-      if content = render_path(path)
+      if content = render_path(path, (request.layout || :layout))
         content_type media_type(File.extname(path)), :charset => 'utf-8'
         status 200
         content
@@ -81,6 +84,31 @@ module Middleman
         status 404
       end
     end
+    
+    def self.page(url, options={}, &block)
+      get(url) do
+        request.layout = @@layout if (@@layout ||= nil)
+        request.layout = options[:layout] if options[:layout]
+        
+        if block_given?
+          yield
+        else
+          process_request
+        end
+      end
+    end
+    
+    def self.with_layout(layout, &block)
+      @@layout = layout
+      class_eval(&block)
+    ensure
+      @@layout = nil
+    end
+    
+    # This will match all requests not overridden in the project's init.rb
+    not_found do
+      process_request
+    end
   end
 end
 
@@ -108,11 +136,11 @@ class Middleman::Base
   disable :maruku
   disable :smush_pngs
   disable :automatic_image_sizes
+  disable :relative_assets
+  disable :cache_buster
   
   # Default build features
   configure :build do
-    enable :relative_assets
-    enable :cache_buster
   end
   
   def self.new(*args, &bk)
diff --git a/lib/middleman/features/maruku.rb b/lib/middleman/features/maruku.rb
index b3d35b69..4673f67b 100755
--- a/lib/middleman/features/maruku.rb
+++ b/lib/middleman/features/maruku.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module Middleman
       base.set :maruku, {}
     end
     
-    def render_path(path)
+    def render_path(path, layout)
       if template_exists?(path, :maruku)
         render :maruku, path.to_sym
       else
diff --git a/lib/middleman/haml.rb b/lib/middleman/haml.rb
index d5583adb..3449fb2f 100755
--- a/lib/middleman/haml.rb
+++ b/lib/middleman/haml.rb
@@ -8,11 +8,12 @@ module Middleman
         base.helpers Middleman::Haml::Helpers
       end
     
-      def render_path(path)
+      def render_path(path, layout)
         if template_exists?(path, :haml)
           result = nil
           begin
-            result = haml(path.to_sym, :layout => File.extname(path) != ".xml")
+            layout = false if File.extname(path) == ".xml"
+            result = haml(path.to_sym, :layout => layout)
           rescue ::Haml::Error => e
             result = "Haml Error: #{e}"
             result << "<pre>Backtrace: #{e.backtrace.join("\n")}</pre>"
diff --git a/lib/middleman/sass.rb b/lib/middleman/sass.rb
index d85c96d1..6832e0a6 100755
--- a/lib/middleman/sass.rb
+++ b/lib/middleman/sass.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ module Middleman
       base.supported_formats << "sass"
     end
 
-    def render_path(path)
+    def render_path(path, layout)
       if template_exists?(path, :sass)
         begin
           static_version = options.public + request.path_info
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom-layout.html.haml b/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom-layout.html.haml
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..0582dd93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom-layout.html.haml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+%h1 Welcome
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom.haml b/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom.haml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..87de0ed3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/fixtures/sample/views/custom.haml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+%html
+  %head
+    %title Custom Layout
+  %body
+    = yield
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/page_alias_and_layouts_spec.rb b/spec/page_alias_and_layouts_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6269a04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/page_alias_and_layouts_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), "spec_helper")
+
+base = ::Middleman::Base
+base.set :root, File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), "fixtures", "sample")
+
+describe "Custom layout" do
+  it "should use custom layout" do
+    base.page "/custom-layout.html", :layout => :custom
+    browser = Rack::Test::Session.new(Rack::MockSession.new(base.new))
+    browser.get("/custom-layout.html")
+    browser.last_response.body.should include("Custom Layout")
+  end
+  
+  it "should use custom layout with_layout method" do
+    base.with_layout :layout => :custom do
+      page "/custom-layout.html"
+    end
+    browser = Rack::Test::Session.new(Rack::MockSession.new(base.new))
+    browser.get("/custom-layout.html")
+    browser.last_response.body.should include("Custom Layout")
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file