diff --git a/fs/ensure_dir.ts b/fs/ensure_dir.ts
index e7e4f69a20..dfc02f35c3 100644
--- a/fs/ensure_dir.ts
+++ b/fs/ensure_dir.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,24 @@
 // Copyright 2018-2019 the Deno authors. All rights reserved. MIT license.
-
+import { getFileInfoType } from "./utils.ts";
 /**
  * Ensures that the directory exists.
  * If the directory structure does not exist, it is created. Like mkdir -p.
  */
 export async function ensureDir(dir: string): Promise<void> {
+  let pathExists = false;
   try {
     // if dir exists
-    await Deno.stat(dir);
-  } catch {
+    const stat = await Deno.stat(dir);
+    pathExists = true;
+    if (!stat.isDirectory()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Ensure path exists, expected 'dir', got '${getFileInfoType(stat)}'`
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (pathExists) {
+      throw err;
+    }
     // if dir not exists. then create it.
     await Deno.mkdir(dir, true);
   }
@@ -19,10 +29,20 @@ export async function ensureDir(dir: string): Promise<void> {
  * If the directory structure does not exist, it is created. Like mkdir -p.
  */
 export function ensureDirSync(dir: string): void {
+  let pathExists = false;
   try {
     // if dir exists
-    Deno.statSync(dir);
-  } catch {
+    const stat = Deno.statSync(dir);
+    pathExists = true;
+    if (!stat.isDirectory()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Ensure path exists, expected 'dir', got '${getFileInfoType(stat)}'`
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (pathExists) {
+      throw err;
+    }
     // if dir not exists. then create it.
     Deno.mkdirSync(dir, true);
   }
diff --git a/fs/ensure_dir_test.ts b/fs/ensure_dir_test.ts
index 2e7936ae9c..3426588b7d 100644
--- a/fs/ensure_dir_test.ts
+++ b/fs/ensure_dir_test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { test } from "../testing/mod.ts";
 import { assertThrows, assertThrowsAsync } from "../testing/asserts.ts";
 import { ensureDir, ensureDirSync } from "./ensure_dir.ts";
 import * as path from "./path/mod.ts";
+import { ensureFile, ensureFileSync } from "./ensure_file.ts";
 
 const testdataDir = path.resolve("fs", "testdata");
 
@@ -27,10 +28,7 @@ test(function ensureDirSyncIfItNotExist() {
 
   ensureDirSync(testDir);
 
-  assertThrows(() => {
-    Deno.statSync(testDir);
-    throw new Error("test dir should exists.");
-  });
+  Deno.statSync(testDir);
 
   Deno.removeSync(baseDir, { recursive: true });
 });
@@ -69,3 +67,37 @@ test(function ensureDirSyncIfItExist() {
 
   Deno.removeSync(baseDir, { recursive: true });
 });
+
+test(async function ensureDirIfItAsFile() {
+  const baseDir = path.join(testdataDir, "ensure_dir_exist_file");
+  const testFile = path.join(baseDir, "test");
+
+  await ensureFile(testFile);
+
+  await assertThrowsAsync(
+    async () => {
+      await ensureDir(testFile);
+    },
+    Error,
+    `Ensure path exists, expected 'dir', got 'file'`
+  );
+
+  await Deno.remove(baseDir, { recursive: true });
+});
+
+test(function ensureDirSyncIfItAsFile() {
+  const baseDir = path.join(testdataDir, "ensure_dir_exist_file_async");
+  const testFile = path.join(baseDir, "test");
+
+  ensureFileSync(testFile);
+
+  assertThrows(
+    () => {
+      ensureDirSync(testFile);
+    },
+    Error,
+    `Ensure path exists, expected 'dir', got 'file'`
+  );
+
+  Deno.removeSync(baseDir, { recursive: true });
+});
diff --git a/fs/ensure_file.ts b/fs/ensure_file.ts
index 56632f1502..6fe8e78223 100644
--- a/fs/ensure_file.ts
+++ b/fs/ensure_file.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright 2018-2019 the Deno authors. All rights reserved. MIT license.
 import * as path from "./path/mod.ts";
 import { ensureDir, ensureDirSync } from "./ensure_dir.ts";
+import { getFileInfoType } from "./utils.ts";
 
 /**
  * Ensures that the file exists.
@@ -8,10 +9,20 @@ import { ensureDir, ensureDirSync } from "./ensure_dir.ts";
  * these directories are created. If the file already exists, it is NOT MODIFIED.
  */
 export async function ensureFile(filePath: string): Promise<void> {
+  let pathExists = false;
   try {
     // if file exists
-    await Deno.stat(filePath);
-  } catch {
+    const stat = await Deno.lstat(filePath);
+    pathExists = true;
+    if (!stat.isFile()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Ensure path exists, expected 'file', got '${getFileInfoType(stat)}'`
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (pathExists) {
+      throw err;
+    }
     // if file not exists
     // ensure dir exists
     await ensureDir(path.dirname(filePath));
@@ -26,10 +37,20 @@ export async function ensureFile(filePath: string): Promise<void> {
  * these directories are created. If the file already exists, it is NOT MODIFIED.
  */
 export function ensureFileSync(filePath: string): void {
+  let pathExists = false;
   try {
     // if file exists
-    Deno.statSync(filePath);
-  } catch {
+    const stat = Deno.statSync(filePath);
+    pathExists = true;
+    if (!stat.isFile()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Ensure path exists, expected 'file', got '${getFileInfoType(stat)}'`
+      );
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (pathExists) {
+      throw err;
+    }
     // if file not exists
     // ensure dir exists
     ensureDirSync(path.dirname(filePath));
diff --git a/fs/ensure_file_test.ts b/fs/ensure_file_test.ts
index 2199e36058..fd3f4718ad 100644
--- a/fs/ensure_file_test.ts
+++ b/fs/ensure_file_test.ts
@@ -69,3 +69,35 @@ test(function ensureFileSyncIfItExist() {
 
   Deno.removeSync(testDir, { recursive: true });
 });
+
+test(async function ensureFileIfItExistAsDir() {
+  const testDir = path.join(testdataDir, "ensure_file_5");
+
+  await Deno.mkdir(testDir, true);
+
+  await assertThrowsAsync(
+    async () => {
+      await ensureFile(testDir);
+    },
+    Error,
+    `Ensure path exists, expected 'file', got 'dir'`
+  );
+
+  await Deno.remove(testDir, { recursive: true });
+});
+
+test(function ensureFileSyncIfItExistAsDir() {
+  const testDir = path.join(testdataDir, "ensure_file_6");
+
+  Deno.mkdirSync(testDir, true);
+
+  assertThrows(
+    () => {
+      ensureFileSync(testDir);
+    },
+    Error,
+    `Ensure path exists, expected 'file', got 'dir'`
+  );
+
+  Deno.removeSync(testDir, { recursive: true });
+});
diff --git a/fs/utils.ts b/fs/utils.ts
index dd7ee5fa40..410e459094 100644
--- a/fs/utils.ts
+++ b/fs/utils.ts
@@ -21,3 +21,20 @@ export function isSubdir(
     return acc && destArray[i] === current;
   }, true);
 }
+
+export enum PathType {
+  file = "file",
+  dir = "dir",
+  symlink = "symlink"
+}
+
+/* Get a human readable file type string */
+export function getFileInfoType(fileInfo: Deno.FileInfo): PathType | null {
+  return fileInfo.isFile()
+    ? PathType.file
+    : fileInfo.isDirectory()
+    ? PathType.dir
+    : fileInfo.isSymlink()
+    ? PathType.symlink
+    : null;
+}
diff --git a/fs/utils_test.ts b/fs/utils_test.ts
index 9d6959de5f..9f8d10cb01 100644
--- a/fs/utils_test.ts
+++ b/fs/utils_test.ts
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@
 
 import { test } from "../testing/mod.ts";
 import { assertEquals } from "../testing/asserts.ts";
-import { isSubdir } from "./utils.ts";
+import { isSubdir, getFileInfoType, PathType } from "./utils.ts";
 import * as path from "./path/mod.ts";
+import { ensureFileSync } from "./ensure_file.ts";
+import { ensureDirSync } from "./ensure_dir.ts";
+
+const testdataDir = path.resolve("fs", "testdata");
 
 test(function _isSubdir() {
   const pairs = [
@@ -29,3 +33,32 @@ test(function _isSubdir() {
     );
   });
 });
+
+test(function _getFileInfoType() {
+  const pairs = [
+    [path.join(testdataDir, "file_type_1"), PathType.file],
+    [path.join(testdataDir, "file_type_dir_1"), PathType.dir]
+  ];
+
+  pairs.forEach(function(p) {
+    const filePath = p[0] as string;
+    const type = p[1] as PathType;
+    switch (type) {
+      case PathType.file:
+        ensureFileSync(filePath);
+        break;
+      case PathType.dir:
+        ensureDirSync(filePath);
+        break;
+      case PathType.symlink:
+        // TODO(axetroy): test symlink
+        break;
+    }
+
+    const stat = Deno.statSync(filePath);
+
+    Deno.removeSync(filePath, { recursive: true });
+
+    assertEquals(getFileInfoType(stat), type);
+  });
+});