--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/visualstudio.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/visualstudio.py
@@ -56,21 +56,16 @@ def visual_studio_product_to_platform_to
 class VisualStudioBackend(CommonBackend):
     """Generate Visual Studio project files.
 
     This backend is used to produce Visual Studio projects and a solution
     to foster developing Firefox with Visual Studio.
 
     This backend is currently considered experimental. There are many things
     not optimal about how it works.
-
-    It's worth noting that lots of file I/O here is not using
-    self._write_file(). That's because we need Windows line endings preserved
-    and self._write_file() currently opens files in text mode, which behaves
-    oddly under MozillaBuild.
     """
 
     def _init(self):
         CommonBackend._init(self)
 
         # These should eventually evolve into parameters.
         self._out_dir = os.path.join(self.environment.topobjdir, 'msvc')
         self._projsubdir = 'projects'
@@ -137,26 +132,16 @@ class VisualStudioBackend(CommonBackend)
         reldir = getattr(obj, 'relativedir', None)
 
         s = self._paths_to_sources.setdefault(reldir, set())
         s.update(obj.files)
 
     def consume_finished(self):
         out_dir = self._out_dir
         out_proj_dir = os.path.join(self._out_dir, self._projsubdir)
-        try:
-            os.makedirs(out_dir)
-        except OSError as e:
-            if e.errno != errno.EEXIST:
-                raise
-        try:
-            os.makedirs(out_proj_dir)
-        except OSError as e:
-            if e.errno != errno.EEXIST:
-                raise
 
         projects = self._write_projects_for_sources(self._libs_to_paths,
             "library", out_proj_dir)
         projects.update(self._write_projects_for_sources(self._progs_to_paths,
             "binary", out_proj_dir))
 
         # Generate projects that can be used to build common targets.
         for target in ('export', 'binaries', 'tools', 'full'):
@@ -174,34 +159,34 @@ class VisualStudioBackend(CommonBackend)
         # A project that can be used to regenerate the visual studio projects.
         basename = 'target_vs'
         project_id = self._write_vs_project(out_proj_dir, basename, 'visual-studio',
             build_command='$(SolutionDir)\\mach.bat build-backend -b VisualStudio')
         projects[basename] = (project_id, basename, 'visual-studio')
 
         # Write out a shared property file with common variables.
         props_path = os.path.join(out_proj_dir, 'mozilla.props')
-        with open(props_path, 'wb') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(props_path, mode='rb') as fh:
             self._write_props(fh)
 
         # Generate some wrapper scripts that allow us to invoke mach inside
         # a MozillaBuild-like environment. We currently only use the batch
         # script. We'd like to use the PowerShell script. However, it seems
         # to buffer output from within Visual Studio (surely this is
         # configurable) and the default execution policy of PowerShell doesn't
         # allow custom scripts to be executed.
-        with open(os.path.join(out_dir, 'mach.bat'), 'wb') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(os.path.join(out_dir, 'mach.bat'), mode='rb') as fh:
             self._write_mach_batch(fh)
 
-        with open(os.path.join(out_dir, 'mach.ps1'), 'wb') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(os.path.join(out_dir, 'mach.ps1'), mode='rb') as fh:
             self._write_mach_powershell(fh)
 
         # Write out a solution file to tie it all together.
         solution_path = os.path.join(out_dir, 'mozilla.sln')
-        with open(solution_path, 'wb') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(solution_path, mode='rb') as fh:
             self._write_solution(fh, projects)
 
     def _write_projects_for_sources(self, sources, prefix, out_dir):
         projects = {}
         for item, path in sorted(sources.items()):
             config = self._paths_to_configs.get(path, None)
             sources = self._paths_to_sources.get(path, set())
             sources = set(os.path.join('$(TopSrcDir)', path, s) for s in sources)
@@ -450,21 +435,21 @@ class VisualStudioBackend(CommonBackend)
         # appropriate build tool.
         fh.write(b'"%%MOZILLABUILD%%\\msys\\bin\\bash" '
             b'-c "%s/mach --log-no-times %%1 %%2 %%3 %%4 %%5 %%6 %%7"' % relpath)
 
     def _write_vs_project(self, out_dir, basename, name, **kwargs):
         root = '%s.vcxproj' % basename
         project_id = get_id(basename.encode('utf-8'))
 
-        with open(os.path.join(out_dir, root), 'wb') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(os.path.join(out_dir, root), mode='rb') as fh:
             project_id, name = VisualStudioBackend.write_vs_project(fh,
                 self._version, project_id, name, **kwargs)
 
-        with open(os.path.join(out_dir, '%s.user' % root), 'w') as fh:
+        with self._write_file(os.path.join(out_dir, '%s.user' % root), mode='rb') as fh:
             fh.write('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>\r\n')
             fh.write('<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="%s">\r\n' %
                 MSBUILD_NAMESPACE)
             fh.write('</Project>\r\n')
 
         return project_id
 
     @staticmethod