Assembly was easy especially with a cordless drill, 10 minutes tops. The only issue with assembly was that some of the predrilled and screwed holes were stripped and needed some additional wood glue and re-positioning of some screws. I found that 8 50 lb bags of sand filled it well, about the same as is pictured. In addition some of the hardware that was attached previously was pulling out. A little wood glue and screw re-positioning was needed here as well. If these issues were fixed then it would be a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

Pros: Easy assembly, fast shipping, 
Cons: Pre-drilled holes "stripped," hardware needs an upgrade