So honestly I was intimidated by the two boxes and the project I was about to dive into, but once we unboxed everything and got started, assembly wasn't hard at all. The only thing I had to mess with a little was getting the shelf to lay evenly. I felt like the directions were very easy to follow. I loved choosing which side the stairs were on, I did not love the shipping cost, but the cost of the bed itself was great. I shopped around for a while and though I'd have preferred a wooden frame, I don't expect my eight year old is going to have this for a super long time, but she insisted on a loft bed for now.