diff --git a/tdns/README.md b/tdns/README.md
index ad19500..6411ac0 100644
--- a/tdns/README.md
+++ b/tdns/README.md
@@ -57,10 +57,10 @@ Known broken:
  * ~~RCode after one CNAME chase~~
  * ~~On output (to screen) we do not escape DNS names correctly~~
  * TCP/IP does not follow recommended timeouts
- * EDNS is a bit clunky and should move into DNSMessageWriter
+ * ~~EDNS is a bit clunky and should move into DNSMessageWriter~~
 
-The code is not quite in a teachable state and still contains ugly bits. But
-well worth [a
+The code is not quite in a teachable state yet and still contains ugly bits. 
+But well worth [a
 read](https://github.com/ahupowerdns/hello-dns/tree/master/tdns).
 
 # Layout
@@ -694,9 +694,8 @@ such a larger buffer size, a packet may exceed the available space. In that
 case, the standard tells us to truncate the packet, and then still put an
 EDNS record in the response.
 
-This is why the code is currently littered with 'if(haveEDNS)' in a number
-of places. This will be moved into `DNSMessageWriter` soon.
-
+The DNSMessageWriter, in somewhat of a layering violation, takes care of
+this in `serialize()`.
 
 # Internals
 `tdns` uses several small pieces of code not core to dns:
diff --git a/tdns/dns.hh b/tdns/dns.hh
index d346dc5..167362a 100644
--- a/tdns/dns.hh
+++ b/tdns/dns.hh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 struct dnsheader {
         unsigned        id :16;         /* query identification number */
-#if BYTE_ORDER == BIG_ENDIAN
+#if __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_BIG_ENDIAN__
                         /* fields in third byte */
         unsigned        qr: 1;          /* response flag */
         unsigned        opcode: 4;      /* purpose of message */
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ struct dnsheader {
         unsigned        ad: 1;          /* authentic data from named */
         unsigned        cd: 1;          /* checking disabled by resolver */
         unsigned        rcode :4;       /* response code */
-#elif BYTE_ORDER == LITTLE_ENDIAN || BYTE_ORDER == PDP_ENDIAN
+#elif __BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_LITTLE_ENDIAN__ 
                         /* fields in third byte */
         unsigned        rd :1;          /* recursion desired */
         unsigned        tc :1;          /* truncated message */
diff --git a/tdns/dnsmessages.cc b/tdns/dnsmessages.cc
index 3382b6e..dd92ccb 100644
--- a/tdns/dnsmessages.cc
+++ b/tdns/dnsmessages.cc
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ DNSMessageReader::DNSMessageReader(const char* in, uint16_t size)
       d_doBit = flags & 0x80;
       payload.getUInt8(); payload.getUInt16(); // ignore rest
       cout<<"   There was an EDNS section, size supported: "<< d_bufsize<<endl;
+      d_haveEDNS = true;
     }
   }
 }
@@ -96,26 +97,50 @@ void DNSMessageWriter::putEDNS(uint16_t bufsize, bool doBit)
     payloadpos = cursize;
     throw;
   }
-  dh.nscount = htons(ntohs(dh.nscount)+1);
+  dh.arcount = htons(ntohs(dh.arcount)+1);
 }
 
-void DNSMessageWriter::setQuestion(const DNSName& name, DNSType type)
+DNSMessageWriter::DNSMessageWriter(const DNSName& name, DNSType type, int maxsize) : d_qname(name), d_qtype(type)
 {
-  dh.ancount = dh.arcount = dh.nscount = 0;
+  memset(&dh, 0, sizeof(dh));
+  payload.resize(maxsize);
+  clearRRs();
+}
+
+void DNSMessageWriter::clearRRs()
+{
+  dh.qdcount = htons(1) ; dh.ancount = dh.arcount = dh.nscount = 0;
   payloadpos=0;
-  putName(name);
-  putUInt16((uint16_t)type);
+  putName(d_qname);
+  putUInt16((uint16_t)d_qtype);
   putUInt16(1); // class
 }
 
-string DNSMessageReader::serialize() const
-{
-  return string((const char*)this, (const char*)this + sizeof(dnsheader) + payload.payloadpos);
-}
 string DNSMessageWriter::serialize() const
 {
-  std::string ret((const char*)this, (const char*)this + sizeof(dnsheader));
-  ret.append((const unsigned char*)&payload[0], (const unsigned char*)&payload[payloadpos]);
+  DNSMessageWriter act = *this;
+  try {
+    if(haveEDNS) {
+      cout<<"Adding EDNS to DNS Message"<<endl;
+      act.putEDNS(payload.size() + sizeof(dnsheader), d_doBit);
+    }
+  }
+  catch(std::out_of_range& e) {
+    cout<<"Got truncated while adding EDNS! Truncating"<<endl;
+    act.clearRRs();
+    act.dh.tc = 1; act.dh.aa = 0;
+    act.putEDNS(payload.size() + sizeof(dnsheader), d_doBit);
+  }
+  std::string ret((const char*)&act.dh, ((const char*)&act.dh) + sizeof(dnsheader));
+  ret.append((const unsigned char*)&act.payload.at(0), (const unsigned char*)&act.payload.at(act.payloadpos));
   return ret;
 }
 
+void DNSMessageWriter::setEDNS(uint16_t newsize, bool doBit)
+{
+  cout<<"Setting new buffer size "<<newsize<<" for writer"<<endl;
+  if(newsize > sizeof(dnsheader))
+    payload.resize(newsize - sizeof(dnsheader));
+  d_doBit = doBit;
+  haveEDNS=true;
+}
diff --git a/tdns/dnsmessages.hh b/tdns/dnsmessages.hh
index 9d80df0..c15fa16 100644
--- a/tdns/dnsmessages.hh
+++ b/tdns/dnsmessages.hh
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ public:
 
   void getQuestion(DNSName& name, DNSType& type) const;
   bool getEDNS(uint16_t* newsize, bool* doBit) const;
-  std::string serialize() const;
 
 private:
   DNSName getName();
@@ -26,20 +25,23 @@ private:
   bool d_haveEDNS;
 }; 
 
-struct DNSMessageWriter
+class DNSMessageWriter
 {
+public:
   struct dnsheader dh=dnsheader{};
   std::vector<uint8_t> payload;
   uint16_t payloadpos=0;
+  DNSName d_qname;
+  DNSType d_qtype;
+  DNSClass d_qclass;
+  bool haveEDNS{false};
+  bool d_doBit;
 
-  explicit DNSMessageWriter(int maxsize=500)
-  {
-    payload.resize(maxsize);
-  }
-  
-  void setQuestion(const DNSName& name, DNSType type);
+  DNSMessageWriter(const DNSName& name, DNSType type, int maxsize=500);
+
+  void clearRRs();
   void putRR(DNSSection section, const DNSName& name, DNSType type, uint32_t ttl, const std::unique_ptr<RRGen>& rr);
-  void putEDNS(uint16_t bufsize, bool doBit);
+  void setEDNS(uint16_t bufsize, bool doBit);
   std::string serialize() const;
 
   void putUInt8(uint8_t val)
@@ -87,5 +89,8 @@ struct DNSMessageWriter
     }
     putUInt8(0);
   }
+
+private:
+  void putEDNS(uint16_t bufsize, bool doBit);
 };
 
diff --git a/tdns/tdns.cc b/tdns/tdns.cc
index 261c02b..523b747 100644
--- a/tdns/tdns.cc
+++ b/tdns/tdns.cc
@@ -47,39 +47,25 @@ bool processQuestion(const DNSNode& zones, DNSMessageReader& dm, const ComboAddr
   DNSName qname;
   DNSType qtype;
   dm.getQuestion(qname, qtype);
+
   DNSName origname=qname; // we need this for error reporting, we munch the original name
-  bool haveEDNS=false;
 
   cout<<"Received a query from "<<remote.toStringWithPort()<<" for "<<qname<<" and type "<<qtype<<endl;
 
-  uint16_t newsize=0;
-  bool doBit=false;
-
-  haveEDNS = dm.getEDNS(&newsize, &doBit);
-  if(haveEDNS && newsize > sizeof(dnsheader))
-    response.payload.resize(newsize - sizeof(dnsheader));
-
   try {
-    response.dh = dm.dh;
+    response.dh.id = dm.dh.id;
     response.dh.ad = response.dh.ra = response.dh.aa = 0;
     response.dh.qr = 1;
-    response.setQuestion(qname, qtype);
     
     if(qtype == DNSType::AXFR || qtype == DNSType::IXFR)  {
       cout<<"Query was for AXFR or IXFR over UDP, can't do that"<<endl;
       response.dh.rcode = (int)RCode::Servfail;
-      if(haveEDNS) {
-        response.putEDNS(newsize, doBit);
-      }
       return true;
     }
 
     if(dm.dh.opcode != 0) {
       cout<<"Query had non-zero opcode "<<dm.dh.opcode<<", sending NOTIMP"<<endl;
       response.dh.rcode = (int)RCode::Notimp;
-      if(haveEDNS) {
-        response.putEDNS(newsize, doBit);
-      }
       return true;
     }
     
@@ -88,9 +74,6 @@ bool processQuestion(const DNSNode& zones, DNSMessageReader& dm, const ComboAddr
     if(!fnd || !fnd->zone) {
       cout<<"No zone matched"<<endl;
       response.dh.rcode = (uint8_t)RCode::Refused;
-      if(haveEDNS) {
-        response.putEDNS(newsize, doBit);
-      }
       return true;
     }
     
@@ -175,19 +158,12 @@ bool processQuestion(const DNSNode& zones, DNSMessageReader& dm, const ComboAddr
       }
       addAdditional(bestzone, zonename, additional, response);      
     }
-    if(haveEDNS) {
-      response.putEDNS(newsize, doBit);
-    }
     return true;
   }
   catch(std::out_of_range& e) { // exceeded packet size
     cout<<"Query for '"<<origname<<"'|"<<qtype<<" got truncated"<<endl;
-    response.setQuestion(origname, qtype); // this resets the packet
-    response.dh.tc=1; response.dh.aa=0;
-    if(haveEDNS) {
-      response.putEDNS(newsize, doBit);
-    }
-    
+    response.clearRRs(); 
+    response.dh.aa = 0;   response.dh.tc = 1; 
     return true;
   }
   catch(std::exception& e) {
@@ -208,11 +184,19 @@ void udpThread(ComboAddress local, Socket* sock, const DNSNode* zones)
       cerr<<"Dropping non-query from "<<remote.toStringWithPort()<<endl;
       continue;
     }
+    DNSName qname;
+    DNSType qtype;
+    dm.getQuestion(qname, qtype);
+    DNSMessageWriter response(qname, qtype);
+    uint16_t newsize; bool doBit;
+
+    if(dm.getEDNS(&newsize, &doBit))
+      response.setEDNS(newsize, doBit);
 
-    DNSMessageWriter response;
     if(processQuestion(*zones, dm, local, remote, response)) {
       cout<<"Sending response with rcode "<<(RCode)response.dh.rcode <<endl;
-      SSendto(*sock, response.serialize(), remote);
+      string ret = response.serialize();
+      SSendto(*sock, ret, remote);
     }
   }
 }
@@ -261,15 +245,14 @@ void tcpClientThread(ComboAddress local, ComboAddress remote, int s, const DNSNo
     DNSName name;
     DNSType type;
     dm.getQuestion(name, type);
-    DNSMessageWriter response(std::numeric_limits<uint16_t>::max()-sizeof(dnsheader));
+    DNSMessageWriter response(name, type, std::numeric_limits<uint16_t>::max());
     
     if(type == DNSType::AXFR) {
       cout<<"Should do AXFR for "<<name<<endl;
 
-      response.dh = dm.dh;
+      response.dh.id = dm.dh.id;
       response.dh.ad = response.dh.ra = response.dh.aa = 0;
       response.dh.qr = 1;
-      response.setQuestion(name, type);
       
       DNSName zone;
       auto fnd = zones->find(name, zone);
@@ -287,7 +270,7 @@ void tcpClientThread(ComboAddress local, ComboAddress remote, int s, const DNSNo
       response.putRR(DNSSection::Answer, zone, DNSType::SOA, node->rrsets[DNSType::SOA].ttl, node->rrsets[DNSType::SOA].contents[0]);
 
       writeTCPResponse(sock, response);
-      response.setQuestion(zone, type);
+      response.clearRRs();
 
       // send all other records
       node->visit([&response,&sock,&name,&type,&zone](const DNSName& nname, const DNSNode* n) {
@@ -301,7 +284,7 @@ void tcpClientThread(ComboAddress local, ComboAddress remote, int s, const DNSNo
               }
               catch(std::out_of_range& e) { // exceeded packet size 
                 writeTCPResponse(sock, response);
-                response.setQuestion(zone, type);
+                response.clearRRs();
                 goto retry;
               }
             }
@@ -309,7 +292,7 @@ void tcpClientThread(ComboAddress local, ComboAddress remote, int s, const DNSNo
         }, zone);
 
       writeTCPResponse(sock, response);
-      response.setQuestion(zone, type);
+      response.clearRRs();
 
       // send SOA again
       response.putRR(DNSSection::Answer, zone, DNSType::SOA, node->rrsets[DNSType::SOA].ttl, node->rrsets[DNSType::SOA].contents[0]);
@@ -318,8 +301,6 @@ void tcpClientThread(ComboAddress local, ComboAddress remote, int s, const DNSNo
       return;
     }
     else {
-      dm.payload.rewind();
-      
       if(processQuestion(*zones, dm, local, remote, response)) {
         writeTCPResponse(sock, response);
       }