diff --git a/src/common/path.c b/src/common/path.c
index e1b4c01..3f9fdf9 100644
--- a/src/common/path.c
+++ b/src/common/path.c
@@ -13,11 +13,14 @@
  */
 
 #include <string.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "strbuf.h"
 #include "path.h"
 
+static char path_null = '\0';
+
 /*
  * allocates and initilizes a path
  */
@@ -118,17 +121,33 @@ size_t pathlen(const char *path) {
 	return size;
 }
 
+static char* expand_home() {
+
+    char *home = getenv("HOME");
+
+    if (!home)
+        home = &path_null;
+    return home;
+}
+
 char* path_normalize(const char *base, const char *name, unsigned char dir) {
 
     strbuf_t sb = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-    if (base == NULL || !is_abspath(base) || has_delim(name))
+    if (base == NULL || has_delim(name)) 
 		return NULL;
 
-    strbuf_append_str(&sb, base);
+    if (*base == '~') {
+        base++;
+        strbuf_append_str(&sb, expand_home());
+        strbuf_term(&sb, '/');
+    }
 
-    if (sb.buf[sb.len] != '/')
-        strbuf_append_ch(&sb, '/');
+    strbuf_append_str(&sb, base);
+    strbuf_term(&sb, '/');
+
+    if (!is_abspath(sb.buf))
+        goto cleanup;
 
     if (name) {
         strbuf_append_str(&sb, name);
@@ -140,4 +159,7 @@ char* path_normalize(const char *base, const char *name, unsigned char dir) {
     strbuf_squeeze(&sb, '/');
 
     return strbuf_release(&sb);
+cleanup:
+    strbuf_free(&sb);
+    return NULL;
 }
diff --git a/test/t_path.c b/test/t_path.c
index 1d1e478..dc46c98 100644
--- a/test/t_path.c
+++ b/test/t_path.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 
 #include <malloc.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include "unit.h"
 #include "../src/common/path.h"
 
@@ -23,6 +24,14 @@ void test_normalize() {
     assert_string(ptr, "/stuff/with/ahell/lot/of/slashes/at/the/end/");
     free(ptr);
 
+    ptr = path_normalize("~", NULL, 0);
+    printf("HOME EXPAND: %s\n", ptr);
+    free(ptr);
+
+    ptr = path_normalize("~/sub", "file", 0);
+    printf("HOME EXPAND2: %s\n", ptr);
+    free(ptr);
+
     ptr = path_normalize("/mnt/cdrom", "keff", 0);
     assert_string(ptr, "/mnt/cdrom/keff");
     free(ptr);