diff --git a/pkg/client/request.go b/pkg/client/request.go
index 0a4698c92ee..44e202d3544 100644
--- a/pkg/client/request.go
+++ b/pkg/client/request.go
@@ -89,16 +89,22 @@ type Request struct {
 	// whether to poll.
 	poller PollFunc
 
-	// accessible via method setters
-	path     string
-	params   map[string]string
-	selector labels.Selector
-	sync     bool
-	timeout  time.Duration
-
 	// If true, put ns/<namespace> in path; if false, add "?namespace=<namespace>" as a query parameter
 	namespaceInPath bool
 
+	// generic components accessible via method setters
+	path    string
+	subpath string
+	params  map[string]string
+
+	// structural elements of the request that are part of the Kubernetes API conventions
+	namespace    string
+	resource     string
+	resourceName string
+	selector     labels.Selector
+	sync         bool
+	timeout      time.Duration
+
 	// output
 	err  error
 	body io.Reader
@@ -116,12 +122,50 @@ func NewRequest(client HTTPClient, verb string, baseURL *url.URL, codec runtime.
 	}
 }
 
-// Path appends an item to the request path. You must call Path at least once.
-func (r *Request) Path(item string) *Request {
+// Prefix adds segments to the relative beginning to the request path. These
+// items will be placed before the optional Namespace, Resource, or Name sections.
+// Setting AbsPath will clear any previously set Prefix segments
+func (r *Request) Prefix(segments ...string) *Request {
 	if r.err != nil {
 		return r
 	}
-	r.path = path.Join(r.path, item)
+	r.path = path.Join(r.path, path.Join(segments...))
+	return r
+}
+
+// Suffix appends segments to the end of the path. These items will be placed after the prefix and optional
+// Namespace, Resource, or Name sections.
+func (r *Request) Suffix(segments ...string) *Request {
+	if r.err != nil {
+		return r
+	}
+	r.subpath = path.Join(r.subpath, path.Join(segments...))
+	return r
+}
+
+// Resource sets the resource to access (<resource>/[ns/<namespace>/]<name>)
+func (r *Request) Resource(resource string) *Request {
+	if r.err != nil {
+		return r
+	}
+	if len(r.resource) != 0 {
+		r.err = fmt.Errorf("resource already set to %q, cannot change to %q", r.resource, resource)
+		return r
+	}
+	r.resource = resource
+	return r
+}
+
+// Name sets the name of a resource to access (<resource>/[ns/<namespace>/]<name>)
+func (r *Request) Name(resourceName string) *Request {
+	if r.err != nil {
+		return r
+	}
+	if len(r.resourceName) != 0 {
+		r.err = fmt.Errorf("resource name already set to %q, cannot change to %q", r.resourceName, resourceName)
+		return r
+	}
+	r.resourceName = resourceName
 	return r
 }
 
@@ -134,29 +178,31 @@ func (r *Request) Sync(sync bool) *Request {
 	return r
 }
 
-// Namespace applies the namespace scope to a request
+// Namespace applies the namespace scope to a request (<resource>/[ns/<namespace>/]<name>)
 func (r *Request) Namespace(namespace string) *Request {
 	if r.err != nil {
 		return r
 	}
-
-	if len(namespace) > 0 {
-		if r.namespaceInPath {
-			return r.Path("ns").Path(namespace)
-		} else {
-			return r.setParam("namespace", namespace)
-		}
-
+	if len(r.namespace) != 0 {
+		r.err = fmt.Errorf("namespace already set to %q, cannot change to %q", r.namespace, namespace)
+		return r
 	}
+	r.namespace = namespace
 	return r
 }
 
-// AbsPath overwrites an existing path with the path parameter.
-func (r *Request) AbsPath(path string) *Request {
+// AbsPath overwrites an existing path with the segments provided. Trailing slashes are preserved
+// when a single segment is passed.
+func (r *Request) AbsPath(segments ...string) *Request {
 	if r.err != nil {
 		return r
 	}
-	r.path = path
+	if len(segments) == 1 {
+		// preserve any trailing slashes for legacy behavior
+		r.path = segments[0]
+	} else {
+		r.path = path.Join(segments...)
+	}
 	return r
 }
 
@@ -273,13 +319,30 @@ func (r *Request) Poller(poller PollFunc) *Request {
 }
 
 func (r *Request) finalURL() string {
+	p := r.path
+	if r.namespaceInPath {
+		p = path.Join(p, "ns", r.namespace)
+	}
+	if len(r.resource) != 0 {
+		p = path.Join(p, r.resource)
+	}
+	// Join trims trailing slashes, so preserve r.path's trailing slash for backwards compat if nothing was changed
+	if len(r.resourceName) != 0 || len(r.subpath) != 0 {
+		p = path.Join(p, r.resourceName, r.subpath)
+	}
+
 	finalURL := *r.baseURL
-	finalURL.Path = r.path
+	finalURL.Path = p
+
 	query := url.Values{}
 	for key, value := range r.params {
 		query.Add(key, value)
 	}
 
+	if !r.namespaceInPath && len(r.namespace) > 0 {
+		query.Add("namespace", r.namespace)
+	}
+
 	// sync and timeout are handled specially here, to allow setting them
 	// in any order.
 	if r.sync {
@@ -452,13 +515,12 @@ func (r *Request) transformResponse(resp *http.Response, req *http.Request) ([]b
 			switch resp.StatusCode {
 			case http.StatusConflict:
 				if req.Method == "POST" {
-					// TODO: add Resource() and ResourceName() as Request methods so that we can set these
-					err = errors.NewAlreadyExists("", "")
+					err = errors.NewAlreadyExists(r.resource, r.resourceName)
 				} else {
-					err = errors.NewConflict("", "", err)
+					err = errors.NewConflict(r.resource, r.resourceName, err)
 				}
 			case http.StatusNotFound:
-				err = errors.NewNotFound("", "")
+				err = errors.NewNotFound(r.resource, r.resourceName)
 			case http.StatusBadRequest:
 				err = errors.NewBadRequest(err.Error())
 			}