diff --git a/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariable.cs b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariable.cs
index 1044ddc116..5287855102 100644
--- a/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariable.cs
+++ b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariable.cs
@@ -8,11 +8,20 @@ namespace umbraco.cms.businesslogic.skinning
     public class CssVariable
     {
         public string Name { get; set; }
+        public string DefaultValue { get; set; }
         public List<CssVariableProperty> Properties { get; set; }
 
-        public CssVariable(string Name)
+        public CssVariable(string name)
         {
-            this.Name = Name;
+            this.Name = name;
+            Properties = new List<CssVariableProperty>();
+        }
+
+        public CssVariable(string name, string defaultValue)
+        {
+            this.Name = name;
+            this.DefaultValue = defaultValue;
+
             Properties = new List<CssVariableProperty>();
         }
     }
diff --git a/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariableProperty.cs b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariableProperty.cs
index 001d440556..5730a00b85 100644
--- a/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariableProperty.cs
+++ b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/CssVariableProperty.cs
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ namespace umbraco.cms.businesslogic.skinning
         public string Name { get; set; }
         public List<string> Selectors { get; set; }
 
-        public CssVariableProperty(string Name)
+        public CssVariableProperty(string name)
         {
-            this.Name = Name;
+            this.Name = name;
             Selectors = new List<string>();
         }
     }
diff --git a/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/utils/SkinManifestParser.cs b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/utils/SkinManifestParser.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..089261dcc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/umbraco/cms/businesslogic/skinning/utils/SkinManifestParser.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
+
+namespace umbraco.cms.businesslogic.skinning.utils
+{
+    //will be used to parse a skin manifest during installation
+    //in case the skin is using css variables
+    public class SkinManifestParser
+    {
+        public string SkinFilePath;
+
+        public SkinManifestParser()
+        {
+
+        }
+
+        public void ProcessSkinFile(string path)
+        {
+            SkinFilePath = path;
+
+            List<CssVariable> cssVariables = new List<CssVariable>();
+            //get all variables
+
+
+            CssParser parser = new CssParser();
+            //add stylesheet contents
+            //parser.AddStyleSheet(@"C:\www\contour.local\1.0.3825.19924\build\css\runway.css");
+
+
+            //build collection of properties and selectors for each variable
+            // - Var 1  - Property  - Selector
+            //                      - Selector
+            //                      - Selector
+            //          - Property  - Selector
+            //                      - Selector
+            foreach (var ruleSet in parser.Styles)
+            {
+                string Selectors = ruleSet.Key;
+
+                foreach (var declaration in ruleSet.Value.Attributes)
+                {
+                    var property = declaration.Key;
+                    var value = declaration.Value;
+
+                    foreach (CssVariable cssvar in cssVariables)
+                    {
+                        if (value.Contains(cssvar.Name))
+                        {
+                            //add property 
+                            CssVariableProperty prop =
+                                cssvar.Properties.Find(delegate(CssVariableProperty p) { return p.Name == property; });
+
+                            if (prop == null)
+                                prop = new CssVariableProperty(property);
+
+                            //add selector
+                            //maybe split up the Selectors, since they can contain multiple
+                            //also 
+                            String sel = prop.Selectors.Find(delegate(string s) { return s == Selectors; });
+
+                            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(sel))
+                                prop.Selectors.Add(Selectors);
+
+
+                            if (!cssvar.Properties.Contains(prop))
+                                cssvar.Properties.Add(prop);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                }
+
+            }
+
+            //modify tasks that are using a variable
+
+            //create default version of css (replace variables with default value)
+
+            //save skin manifest
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/umbraco/cms/umbraco.cms.csproj b/umbraco/cms/umbraco.cms.csproj
index 54fd6fbb16..02843721b6 100644
--- a/umbraco/cms/umbraco.cms.csproj
+++ b/umbraco/cms/umbraco.cms.csproj
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\skinning\tasks\ModifyTemplate.cs" />
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\skinning\TaskType.cs" />
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\skinning\utils\CssParser.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="businesslogic\skinning\utils\SkinManifestParser.cs" />
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\Tags\Tag.cs" />
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\task\Tasks.cs" />
     <Compile Include="businesslogic\web\DocumentVersionList.cs" />