diff --git a/lib/Utils.vala b/lib/Utils.vala
index a66acb21..18ad1822 100644
--- a/lib/Utils.vala
+++ b/lib/Utils.vala
@@ -78,24 +78,29 @@ namespace Gala
 		 */
 		public class WindowIcon : GtkClutter.Texture
 		{
-			public uint32 xid { get; construct; }
-			public int icon_size { get; construct; }
-			public Meta.Window window { get; construct; }
+			static Bamf.Matcher matcher;
 
-			static Bamf.Matcher? matcher = null;
+			static construct
+			{
+				matcher = Bamf.Matcher.get_default ();
+			}
+
+			public Meta.Window window { get; construct; }
+			public int icon_size { get; construct; }
 
 			bool loaded = false;
+			uint32 xid;
 
 			public WindowIcon (Meta.Window window, int icon_size)
 			{
-				var xid = (uint32)window.get_xwindow ();
-				Object (window: window, xid: xid, icon_size: icon_size);
+				Object (window: window, icon_size: icon_size);
+			}
 
+			construct
+			{
 				width = icon_size;
 				height = icon_size;
-
-				if (matcher == null)
-					matcher = Bamf.Matcher.get_default ();
+				xid = (uint32) window.get_xwindow ();
 
 				// new windows often reach mutter earlier than bamf, that's why
 				// we have to wait until the next window opens and hope that it's
diff --git a/src/InternalUtils.vala b/src/InternalUtils.vala
index 339100dc..874a4e85 100644
--- a/src/InternalUtils.vala
+++ b/src/InternalUtils.vala
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@
 
 using Meta;
 
-using Gala;
-
 namespace Gala
 {
 	public class InternalUtils
@@ -36,11 +34,19 @@ namespace Gala
 			{
 				var actor = (WindowActor) window.get_compositor_private ();
 				Object (window: window, source: actor);
+			}
 
+			construct
+			{
 				if (source != null)
 					window.unmanaged.connect (reset_source);
 			}
 
+			~SafeWindowClone ()
+			{
+				window.unmanaged.disconnect (reset_source);
+			}
+
 			void reset_source ()
 			{
 				// actually destroying the clone will be handled somewhere else, we just need
@@ -48,11 +54,6 @@ namespace Gala
 				// has been destroyed
 				source = null;
 			}
-
-			~SafeWindowClone ()
-			{
-				window.unmanaged.disconnect (reset_source);
-			}
 		}
 
 		public static bool workspaces_only_on_primary ()
@@ -182,9 +183,9 @@ namespace Gala
 		 **/
 
 		// constants, mainly for natural expo
-		static const int GAPS = 10;
-		static const int MAX_TRANSLATIONS = 100000;
-		static const int ACCURACY = 20;
+		const int GAPS = 10;
+		const int MAX_TRANSLATIONS = 100000;
+		const int ACCURACY = 20;
 
 		// some math utilities
 		static int squared_distance (Gdk.Point a, Gdk.Point b)
@@ -345,7 +346,8 @@ namespace Gala
 			return result;
 		}
 
-		/*public List<Meta.Rectangle?> natural_placement (Meta.Rectangle area, List<Meta.Rectangle?> windows)
+		/* TODO needs porting
+		public List<Meta.Rectangle?> natural_placement (Meta.Rectangle area, List<Meta.Rectangle?> windows)
 		{
 			Meta.Rectangle bounds = {area.x, area.y, area.width, area.height};
 
diff --git a/src/ShadowEffect.vala b/src/ShadowEffect.vala
index a182c785..e029da90 100644
--- a/src/ShadowEffect.vala
+++ b/src/ShadowEffect.vala
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ namespace Gala
 		// so we keep a cache to avoid creating the same texture all over again.
 		static Gee.HashMap<string,Shadow> shadow_cache;
 
+		static construct
+		{
+			shadow_cache = new Gee.HashMap<string,Shadow> ();
+		}
+
 		public int shadow_size { get; construct; }
 		public int shadow_spread { get; construct; }
 
@@ -54,24 +59,20 @@ namespace Gala
 			update_size (actor_width, actor_height);
 		}
 
-		public void update_size (int actor_width, int actor_height)
-		{
-			var shadow = get_shadow (actor_width, actor_height, shadow_size, shadow_spread);
-			material.set_layer (0, shadow);
-		}
-
 		~ShadowEffect ()
 		{
 			if (current_key != null)
 				decrement_shadow_users (current_key);
 		}
 
+		public void update_size (int actor_width, int actor_height)
+		{
+			var shadow = get_shadow (actor_width, actor_height, shadow_size, shadow_spread);
+			material.set_layer (0, shadow);
+		}
+
 		Cogl.Texture get_shadow (int actor_width, int actor_height, int shadow_size, int shadow_spread)
 		{
-			if (shadow_cache == null) {
-				shadow_cache = new Gee.HashMap<string,Shadow> ();
-			}
-
 			if (current_key != null) {
 				decrement_shadow_users (current_key);
 			}