diff --git a/database.go b/database.go
index 6e8ae06..e212044 100644
--- a/database.go
+++ b/database.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
 )
 
 //
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ import (
 
 type database struct {
 	base string
-	vers []*version
+	vers versionList
 }
 
 func newDatabase(dir string) (*database, error) {
@@ -75,14 +76,14 @@ func (this *database) save() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (this *database) buildVersions(base string) ([]*version, error) {
+func (this *database) buildVersions(base string) (versionList, error) {
 	nodes, err := ioutil.ReadDir(base)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	var prev *version
-	var vers []*version
+	var parent *version
+	var vers versionList
 
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 		if !node.IsDir() {
@@ -94,15 +95,16 @@ func (this *database) buildVersions(base string) ([]*version, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		ver, err := newVersion(path.Join(base, node.Name()), timestamp, prev)
+		ver, err := newVersion(path.Join(base, node.Name()), timestamp, this, parent)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
 		vers = append(vers, ver)
-		prev = ver
+		parent = ver
 	}
 
+	sort.Sort(vers)
 	return vers, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/dir.go b/dir.go
index e343806..cb23cb8 100644
--- a/dir.go
+++ b/dir.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"bazil.org/fuse"
 	"bazil.org/fuse/fs"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+	"log"
 	"os"
 	"path"
 )
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ type versionedDir struct {
 	node   *versionedNode
 	inode  uint64
 	parent *versionedDir
+	dirty  bool
 }
 
 func newVersionedDir(node *versionedNode, parent *versionedDir) *versionedDir {
@@ -48,7 +50,35 @@ func newVersionedDir(node *versionedNode, parent *versionedDir) *versionedDir {
 		files:  make(map[string]*versionedFile),
 		node:   node,
 		inode:  allocInode(),
-		parent: parent}
+		parent: parent,
+		dirty:  false}
+}
+
+func (this *versionedDir) version() error {
+	if this.dirty {
+		log.Printf("not dirty")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	version := this.node.ver.db.lastVersion()
+	rebasedPath := version.rebasePath(this.node.path)
+
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(rebasedPath, 0755); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("cannot create directory %s", rebasedPath)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	node, err := newVersionedNode(this.node.path, version, this.node)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("cannot create versioned node for %s", rebasedPath)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	this.node = node
+	this.dirty = true
+
+	log.Printf("created directory for %s, %s", version.base, rebasedPath)
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (this *versionedDir) createDir(name string) (*versionedDir, error) {
@@ -109,6 +139,10 @@ func (this *versionedDir) Setattr(ctx context.Context, req *fuse.SetattrRequest,
 }
 
 func (this *versionedDir) Create(ctx context.Context, req *fuse.CreateRequest, resp *fuse.CreateResponse) (fs.Node, fs.Handle, error) {
+	if err := this.version(); err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+
 	if req.Mode.IsDir() {
 		dir, err := this.createDir(req.Name)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/version.go b/version.go
index a0be196..2c77dab 100644
--- a/version.go
+++ b/version.go
@@ -46,9 +46,10 @@ type version struct {
 	timestamp time.Time
 	meta      *versionMetadata
 	root      *versionedDir
+	db        *database
 }
 
-func newVersion(base string, timestamp time.Time, parent *version) (*version, error) {
+func newVersion(base string, timestamp time.Time, db *database, parent *version) (*version, error) {
 	meta, err := newVersionMetadata(filepath.Join(base, "meta.json"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -58,7 +59,8 @@ func newVersion(base string, timestamp time.Time, parent *version) (*version, er
 		base:      base,
 		parent:    parent,
 		timestamp: timestamp,
-		meta:      meta}
+		meta:      meta,
+		db:        db}
 
 	return ver, nil
 }
@@ -171,6 +173,20 @@ func (this *version) Root() (fs.Node, error) {
 //	version helpers
 //
 
+type versionList []*version
+
+func (this versionList) Len() int {
+	return len(this)
+}
+
+func (this versionList) Swap(i, j int) {
+	this[i], this[j] = this[j], this[i]
+}
+
+func (this versionList) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	return this[i].timestamp.Unix() < this[j].timestamp.Unix()
+}
+
 func buildNewVersion(base string) error {
 	name := buildVerName(time.Now())