So far this has been great. It's sturdy, the kids love it, I feel like it's well made, and I think it will last as long as they want it. It also is built well enough to allow a parent to climb up into bed with a child, which many loft beds aren't.  The only real drawback (and only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars) is that the wood is taking a long time to shed the chemical smell. It has abated since the first day or two (when we closed the room and opened the windows) but a week later it still has more of a smell than I'd like.  But overall I think it's a great product, at a very fair price.