I was scared about assembly after reading some of these posts, so I thought I would share. It took my husband, who is moderately handy, about 3 hours to put together. He read through the directions thoroughly and was 100% focused on the task at hand, and he did have an electric drill and the eager-assistance of my 8-year-old who WAS very helpful!  The bad news is, while he was putting it together my toddler was running wild through the house dumping out my potted plant, splashing hand cleaner on the entertainment center (yikes, there went that piece of furniture), and flushing his tooth brush down the toilet.   So, while the bed is sturdy, attractive (a few small dings), and assembly was manageable, it was not without  some drama. :)