diff --git a/google/resource_compute_network.go b/google/resource_compute_network.go
index 91c883ef..c615bc34 100644
--- a/google/resource_compute_network.go
+++ b/google/resource_compute_network.go
@@ -195,9 +195,12 @@ func resourceComputeNetworkDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) erro
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Delete the network
+	return deleteComputeNetwork(project, d.Id(), config)
+}
+
+func deleteComputeNetwork(project, network string, config *Config) error {
 	op, err := config.clientCompute.Networks.Delete(
-		project, d.Id()).Do()
+		project, network).Do()
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Error deleting network: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -206,7 +209,5 @@ func resourceComputeNetworkDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) erro
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-
-	d.SetId("")
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/google/resource_google_project.go b/google/resource_google_project.go
index 506e3d87..ea122f6d 100644
--- a/google/resource_google_project.go
+++ b/google/resource_google_project.go
@@ -151,15 +151,13 @@ func resourceGoogleProjectCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error
 	// people if we don't have to.  The GCP Console is doing the same thing - creating
 	// a network and deleting it in the background.
 	if !d.Get("auto_create_network").(bool) {
-		op, err := config.clientCompute.Networks.Delete(
-			project.Name, "default").Do()
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("Error deleting network: %s", err)
+		// The compute API has to be enabled before we can delete a network.
+		if err = enableService("compute.googleapis.com", project.ProjectId, config); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error enabling the Compute Engine API required to delete the default network: %s", err)
 		}
 
-		err = computeOperationWaitTime(config.clientCompute, op, project.Name, "Deleting Network", 10)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		if err = forceDeleteComputeNetwork(project.ProjectId, "default", config); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error deleting default network in project %s: %s", project.ProjectId, err)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
@@ -343,3 +341,35 @@ func resourceProjectImportState(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) ([]*sc
 	d.Set("auto_create_network", true)
 	return []*schema.ResourceData{d}, nil
 }
+
+// Delete a compute network along with the firewall rules inside it.
+func forceDeleteComputeNetwork(projectId, networkName string, config *Config) error {
+	networkLink := fmt.Sprintf("https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/%s/global/networks/%s", projectId, networkName)
+
+	token := ""
+	for paginate := true; paginate; {
+		filter := fmt.Sprintf("network eq %s", networkLink)
+		resp, err := config.clientCompute.Firewalls.List(projectId).Filter(filter).Do()
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Error listing firewall rules in proj: %s", err)
+		}
+
+		log.Printf("[DEBUG] Found %d firewall rules in %q network", len(resp.Items), networkName)
+
+		for _, firewall := range resp.Items {
+			op, err := config.clientCompute.Firewalls.Delete(projectId, firewall.Name).Do()
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("Error deleting firewall: %s", err)
+			}
+			err = computeSharedOperationWait(config.clientCompute, op, projectId, "Deleting Firewall")
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+
+		token = resp.NextPageToken
+		paginate = token != ""
+	}
+
+	return deleteComputeNetwork(projectId, networkName, config)
+}
diff --git a/google/resource_google_project_test.go b/google/resource_google_project_test.go
index 71c57a35..c38eec5d 100644
--- a/google/resource_google_project_test.go
+++ b/google/resource_google_project_test.go
@@ -153,6 +153,23 @@ func TestAccProject_labels(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestAccProject_deleteDefaultNetwork(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	org := getTestOrgFromEnv(t)
+	pid := "terraform-" + acctest.RandString(10)
+	billingId := getTestBillingAccountFromEnv(t)
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		PreCheck:  func() { testAccPreCheck(t) },
+		Providers: testAccProviders,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			{
+				Config: testAccProject_deleteDefaultNetwork(pid, pname, org, billingId),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func testAccCheckGoogleProjectExists(r, pid string) resource.TestCheckFunc {
 	return func(s *terraform.State) error {
 		rs, ok := s.RootModule().Resources[r]
@@ -286,6 +303,17 @@ resource "google_project" "acceptance" {
 	return r + l
 }
 
+func testAccProject_deleteDefaultNetwork(pid, name, org, billing string) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(`
+resource "google_project" "acceptance" {
+    project_id = "%s"
+    name = "%s"
+    org_id = "%s"
+	billing_account = "%s" # requires billing to enable compute API
+	auto_create_network = false
+}`, pid, name, org, billing)
+}
+
 func skipIfEnvNotSet(t *testing.T, envs ...string) {
 	for _, k := range envs {
 		if os.Getenv(k) == "" {
diff --git a/website/docs/r/google_project.html.markdown b/website/docs/r/google_project.html.markdown
index 0e9a77b2..a0193472 100755
--- a/website/docs/r/google_project.html.markdown
+++ b/website/docs/r/google_project.html.markdown
@@ -100,7 +100,8 @@ The following arguments are supported:
 * `auto_create_network` - (Optional) Create the 'default' network automatically.  Default true.
     Note: this might be more accurately described as "Delete Default Network", since the network
     is created automatically then deleted before project creation returns, but we choose this
-    name to match the GCP Console UI.
+    name to match the GCP Console UI. Setting this field to false will enable the Compute Engine
+    API which is required to delete the network.
 
 ## Attributes Reference