diff --git a/include/sway/config.h b/include/sway/config.h
index 231356f25..4dd8e94c5 100644
--- a/include/sway/config.h
+++ b/include/sway/config.h
@@ -364,10 +364,8 @@ void apply_input_config(struct input_config *ic, struct libinput_device *dev);
 void free_input_config(struct input_config *ic);
 
 int output_name_cmp(const void *item, const void *data);
-void output_config_defaults(struct output_config *oc);
+struct output_config *new_output_config();
 void merge_output_config(struct output_config *dst, struct output_config *src);
-/** Sets up a WLC output handle based on a given output_config.
- */
 void apply_output_config(struct output_config *oc, swayc_t *output);
 void free_output_config(struct output_config *oc);
 
diff --git a/sway/commands/output.c b/sway/commands/output.c
index bbf8efc34..11da0ff67 100644
--- a/sway/commands/output.c
+++ b/sway/commands/output.c
@@ -27,11 +27,10 @@ struct cmd_results *cmd_output(int argc, char **argv) {
 	}
 	const char *name = argv[0];
 
-	struct output_config *output = calloc(1, sizeof(struct output_config));
+	struct output_config *output = new_output_config();
 	if (!output) {
 		return cmd_results_new(CMD_FAILURE, "output", "Unable to allocate output config");
 	}
-	output_config_defaults(output);
 	output->name = strdup(name);
 
 	// TODO: atoi doesn't handle invalid numbers
diff --git a/sway/config/output.c b/sway/config/output.c
index 4a0a5cc9a..26798503a 100644
--- a/sway/config/output.c
+++ b/sway/config/output.c
@@ -14,13 +14,18 @@ int output_name_cmp(const void *item, const void *data) {
 	return strcmp(output->name, name);
 }
 
-void output_config_defaults(struct output_config *oc) {
+struct output_config *new_output_config() {
+	struct output_config *oc = calloc(1, sizeof(struct output_config));
+	if (oc == NULL) {
+		return NULL;
+	}
 	oc->enabled = -1;
 	oc->width = oc->height -1;
 	oc->refresh_rate = -1;
 	oc->x = oc->y = -1;
 	oc->scale = -1;
 	oc->transform = -1;
+	return oc;
 }
 
 void merge_output_config(struct output_config *dst, struct output_config *src) {
diff --git a/sway/tree/container.c b/sway/tree/container.c
index ec3311a0b..d9bed7d87 100644
--- a/sway/tree/container.c
+++ b/sway/tree/container.c
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ swayc_t *new_output(struct sway_output *sway_output) {
 	sway_log(L_DEBUG, "Creating default workspace %s", ws_name);
 	new_workspace(output, ws_name);
 	free(ws_name);
+	update_root_geometry();
 	return output;
 }