This item looks every bit as nice in the home as it does on the internet and even better.  My husband assembled it by himself.  All in all he says it probably took 2.5 - 3 hrs.  He was not in a rush and spread it out over 2 days.  He said there were a couple of spots where the instructions could have been a bit clearer, but overall he feels almost anyone could assemble this.  I was concerned about the sturdiness of drawers based on some reviews and was prepared to reinforce them - not needed - I store office papers and a few manuals and books with no need for reinforcement.  As long as you're not storing huge rocks, you shouldn't have a problem.  And, of  course, if you are using for files or hanging files, it is more than sturdy enough.  Matches my other dark cherry furniture perfectly.