diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index b04483e8a..0060120a7 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -43,6 +43,12 @@
     "config": {
         "sort-packages": true
     },
+    "autoload": {
+        "classmap": [
+            "scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php"
+        ],
+        "files": ["load.environment.php"]
+    },
     "scripts": {
         "post-install-cmd": [
             "DrupalProject\\composer\\ScriptHandler::createRequiredFiles"
diff --git a/load.environment.php b/load.environment.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..769343fd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/load.environment.php
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * This file is included very early. See autoload.files in composer.json and
+ * https://getcomposer.org/doc/04-schema.md#files
+ */
+
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
+use Dotenv\Exception\InvalidPathException;
+
+/**
+ * Load any .env file. See /.env.example.
+ */
+$dotenv = new Dotenv(__DIR__);
+try {
+  $dotenv->load();
+}
+catch (InvalidPathException $e) {
+  // Do nothing. Production environments rarely use .env files.
+}
diff --git a/scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php b/scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a75e4d34e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains \DrupalProject\composer\ScriptHandler.
+ */
+
+namespace DrupalProject\composer;
+
+use Composer\Script\Event;
+use Composer\Semver\Comparator;
+use DrupalFinder\DrupalFinder;
+use Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Filesystem;
+use Webmozart\PathUtil\Path;
+
+class ScriptHandler {
+
+  public static function createRequiredFiles(Event $event) {
+    $fs = new Filesystem();
+    $drupalFinder = new DrupalFinder();
+    $drupalFinder->locateRoot(getcwd());
+    $drupalRoot = $drupalFinder->getDrupalRoot();
+
+    $dirs = [
+      'modules',
+      'profiles',
+      'themes',
+    ];
+
+    // Required for unit testing
+    foreach ($dirs as $dir) {
+      if (!$fs->exists($drupalRoot . '/'. $dir)) {
+        $fs->mkdir($drupalRoot . '/'. $dir);
+        $fs->touch($drupalRoot . '/'. $dir . '/.gitkeep');
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Prepare the settings file for installation
+    if (!$fs->exists($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/settings.php') and $fs->exists($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/default.settings.php')) {
+      $fs->copy($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/default.settings.php', $drupalRoot . '/sites/default/settings.php');
+      require_once $drupalRoot . '/core/includes/bootstrap.inc';
+      require_once $drupalRoot . '/core/includes/install.inc';
+      $settings['config_directories'] = [
+        CONFIG_SYNC_DIRECTORY => (object) [
+          'value' => Path::makeRelative($drupalFinder->getComposerRoot() . '/config/sync', $drupalRoot),
+          'required' => TRUE,
+        ],
+      ];
+      drupal_rewrite_settings($settings, $drupalRoot . '/sites/default/settings.php');
+      $fs->chmod($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/settings.php', 0666);
+      $event->getIO()->write("Create a sites/default/settings.php file with chmod 0666");
+    }
+
+    // Create the files directory with chmod 0777
+    if (!$fs->exists($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/files')) {
+      $oldmask = umask(0);
+      $fs->mkdir($drupalRoot . '/sites/default/files', 0777);
+      umask($oldmask);
+      $event->getIO()->write("Create a sites/default/files directory with chmod 0777");
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Checks if the installed version of Composer is compatible.
+   *
+   * Composer 1.0.0 and higher consider a `composer install` without having a
+   * lock file present as equal to `composer update`. We do not ship with a lock
+   * file to avoid merge conflicts downstream, meaning that if a project is
+   * installed with an older version of Composer the scaffolding of Drupal will
+   * not be triggered. We check this here instead of in drupal-scaffold to be
+   * able to give immediate feedback to the end user, rather than failing the
+   * installation after going through the lengthy process of compiling and
+   * downloading the Composer dependencies.
+   *
+   * @see https://github.com/composer/composer/pull/5035
+   */
+  public static function checkComposerVersion(Event $event) {
+    $composer = $event->getComposer();
+    $io = $event->getIO();
+
+    $version = $composer::VERSION;
+
+    // The dev-channel of composer uses the git revision as version number,
+    // try to the branch alias instead.
+    if (preg_match('/^[0-9a-f]{40}$/i', $version)) {
+      $version = $composer::BRANCH_ALIAS_VERSION;
+    }
+
+    // If Composer is installed through git we have no easy way to determine if
+    // it is new enough, just display a warning.
+    if ($version === '@package_version@' || $version === '@package_branch_alias_version@') {
+      $io->writeError('<warning>You are running a development version of Composer. If you experience problems, please update Composer to the latest stable version.</warning>');
+    }
+    elseif (Comparator::lessThan($version, '1.0.0')) {
+      $io->writeError('<error>Drupal-project requires Composer version 1.0.0 or higher. Please update your Composer before continuing</error>.');
+      exit(1);
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/vendor/composer/autoload_classmap.php b/vendor/composer/autoload_classmap.php
index 2f7de773b..ea5342ea6 100644
--- a/vendor/composer/autoload_classmap.php
+++ b/vendor/composer/autoload_classmap.php
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ return array(
     'DivisionByZeroError' => $vendorDir . '/symfony/polyfill-php70/Resources/stubs/DivisionByZeroError.php',
     'Drupal' => $baseDir . '/web/core/lib/Drupal.php',
     'DrupalFinder\\DrupalFinder' => $vendorDir . '/webflo/drupal-finder/src/DrupalFinder.php',
+    'DrupalProject\\composer\\ScriptHandler' => $baseDir . '/scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php',
     'Drupal\\Component\\Utility\\Timer' => $baseDir . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Component/Utility/Timer.php',
     'Drupal\\Component\\Utility\\Unicode' => $baseDir . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Component/Utility/Unicode.php',
     'Drupal\\Core\\Database\\Database' => $baseDir . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Database.php',
diff --git a/vendor/composer/autoload_files.php b/vendor/composer/autoload_files.php
index 92568ff3d..b322b262d 100644
--- a/vendor/composer/autoload_files.php
+++ b/vendor/composer/autoload_files.php
@@ -27,4 +27,5 @@ return array(
     '801c31d8ed748cfa537fa45402288c95' => $vendorDir . '/psy/psysh/src/functions.php',
     '952683d815ff0a7bf322b93c0be7e4e4' => $vendorDir . '/chi-teck/drupal-code-generator/src/bootstrap.php',
     '5a12a5271c58108e0aa33355e6ac54ea' => $vendorDir . '/drupal/console-core/src/functions.php',
+    'd511210698f02d87ca48e3972f64323e' => $baseDir . '/load.environment.php',
 );
diff --git a/vendor/composer/autoload_static.php b/vendor/composer/autoload_static.php
index 2304470dc..a7e634fdb 100644
--- a/vendor/composer/autoload_static.php
+++ b/vendor/composer/autoload_static.php
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class ComposerStaticInit5b1c1b80ca16f098d2571547d6c6045f
         '801c31d8ed748cfa537fa45402288c95' => __DIR__ . '/..' . '/psy/psysh/src/functions.php',
         '952683d815ff0a7bf322b93c0be7e4e4' => __DIR__ . '/..' . '/chi-teck/drupal-code-generator/src/bootstrap.php',
         '5a12a5271c58108e0aa33355e6ac54ea' => __DIR__ . '/..' . '/drupal/console-core/src/functions.php',
+        'd511210698f02d87ca48e3972f64323e' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/load.environment.php',
     );
 
     public static $prefixLengthsPsr4 = array (
@@ -537,6 +538,7 @@ class ComposerStaticInit5b1c1b80ca16f098d2571547d6c6045f
         'DivisionByZeroError' => __DIR__ . '/..' . '/symfony/polyfill-php70/Resources/stubs/DivisionByZeroError.php',
         'Drupal' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/web/core/lib/Drupal.php',
         'DrupalFinder\\DrupalFinder' => __DIR__ . '/..' . '/webflo/drupal-finder/src/DrupalFinder.php',
+        'DrupalProject\\composer\\ScriptHandler' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/scripts/composer/ScriptHandler.php',
         'Drupal\\Component\\Utility\\Timer' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Component/Utility/Timer.php',
         'Drupal\\Component\\Utility\\Unicode' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Component/Utility/Unicode.php',
         'Drupal\\Core\\Database\\Database' => __DIR__ . '/../..' . '/web/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Database/Database.php',