diff --git a/lib/services/project-service.ts b/lib/services/project-service.ts
index 681b74fd8d..e0c63728a4 100644
--- a/lib/services/project-service.ts
+++ b/lib/services/project-service.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ export class ProjectService implements IProjectService {
 			let templatePath = await this.$projectTemplatesService.prepareTemplate(selectedTemplate, projectDir);
 			await this.extractTemplate(projectDir, templatePath);
 
+			await this.ensureAppResourcesExist(projectDir);
+
 			let packageName = constants.TNS_CORE_MODULES_NAME;
 			await this.$npm.install(packageName, projectDir, { save: true, "save-exact": true });
 
@@ -102,6 +104,27 @@ export class ProjectService implements IProjectService {
 		this.$fs.createDirectory(path.join(projectDir, "platforms"));
 	}
 
+	private async ensureAppResourcesExist(projectDir: string): Promise<void> {
+		let appPath = path.join(projectDir, constants.APP_FOLDER_NAME),
+			appResourcesDestinationPath = path.join(appPath, constants.APP_RESOURCES_FOLDER_NAME);
+
+		if (!this.$fs.exists(appResourcesDestinationPath)) {
+			this.$fs.createDirectory(appResourcesDestinationPath);
+
+			// the template installed doesn't have App_Resources -> get from a default template
+			let defaultTemplateName = constants.RESERVED_TEMPLATE_NAMES["default"];
+			await this.$npm.install(defaultTemplateName, projectDir, { save: true, });
+			let defaultTemplateAppResourcesPath = path.join(projectDir, constants.NODE_MODULES_FOLDER_NAME,
+				defaultTemplateName, constants.APP_RESOURCES_FOLDER_NAME);
+
+			if (this.$fs.exists(defaultTemplateAppResourcesPath)) {
+				shelljs.cp('-R', defaultTemplateAppResourcesPath, appPath);
+			}
+
+			await this.$npm.uninstall(defaultTemplateName, { save: true }, projectDir);
+		}
+	}
+
 	private removeMergedDependencies(projectDir: string, templatePackageJsonData: any): void {
 		let extractedTemplatePackageJsonPath = path.join(projectDir, constants.APP_FOLDER_NAME, constants.PACKAGE_JSON_FILE_NAME);
 		for (let key in templatePackageJsonData) {
diff --git a/test/project-service.ts b/test/project-service.ts
index 2136fc5f8f..bb2421bfc6 100644
--- a/test/project-service.ts
+++ b/test/project-service.ts
@@ -138,9 +138,12 @@ describe("Project Service Tests", () => {
 	describe("project service integration tests", () => {
 		let defaultTemplatePath: string;
 		let defaultSpecificVersionTemplatePath: string;
+		let noAppResourcesTemplatePath: string;
 		let angularTemplatePath: string;
 		let typescriptTemplatePath: string;
 
+		const noAppResourcesTemplateName = "tns-template-hello-world-ts";
+
 		before(async () => {
 			let projectIntegrationTest = new ProjectIntegrationTest();
 			let fs: IFileSystem = projectIntegrationTest.testInjector.resolve("fs");
@@ -205,6 +208,23 @@ describe("Project Service Tests", () => {
 			typescriptTemplatePath = path.join(typescriptTemplateDir, "node_modules", constants.RESERVED_TEMPLATE_NAMES["typescript"]);
 
 			fs.deleteDirectory(path.join(typescriptTemplatePath, "node_modules"));
+			let noAppResourcesTemplateDir = temp.mkdirSync("noAppResources");
+			fs.writeJson(path.join(noAppResourcesTemplateDir, "package.json"), {
+				"name": "blankTemplate",
+				"version": "1.0.0",
+				"description": "dummy",
+				"license": "MIT",
+				"readme": "dummy",
+				"repository": "dummy"
+			});
+
+			await npmInstallationManager.install(noAppResourcesTemplateName, noAppResourcesTemplateDir, {
+				dependencyType: "save",
+				version: "2.0.0"
+			});
+			noAppResourcesTemplatePath = path.join(noAppResourcesTemplateDir, "node_modules", noAppResourcesTemplateName);
+
+			fs.deleteDirectory(path.join(noAppResourcesTemplatePath, "node_modules"));
 		});
 
 		it("creates valid project from default template", async () => {
@@ -234,6 +254,15 @@ describe("Project Service Tests", () => {
 			await projectIntegrationTest.assertProject(tempFolder, projectName, "org.nativescript.myapp", defaultSpecificVersionTemplatePath);
 		});
 
+		it("creates valid project from a template without App_Resources", async () => {
+			let projectIntegrationTest = new ProjectIntegrationTest();
+			let tempFolder = temp.mkdirSync("project");
+			let projectName = "myapp";
+
+			await projectIntegrationTest.createProject({ projectName: projectName, template: noAppResourcesTemplateName + "@2.0.0", pathToProject: tempFolder });
+			await projectIntegrationTest.assertProject(tempFolder, projectName, "org.nativescript.myapp", noAppResourcesTemplatePath);
+		});
+
 		it("creates valid project from typescript template", async () => {
 			let projectIntegrationTest = new ProjectIntegrationTest();
 			let tempFolder = temp.mkdirSync("projectTypescript");