I purchased two of these planters. The first was assembled according to the instructions and ended up with an uneven top. The second one was assembled on its side so I could push the boards down so the top was level and I then put in the screws. As you can see from the photos that it didn't matter, they're both very uneven. After a very heavy rain the boards swelled and never went back down to their original size. The inner boards grew so much that they all don't fit across the bottom anymore. I'm using these so my kids can't get close to the railing of our deck which is high off of the ground, so I'm just going to overlook that issue. However, it is a little irritating to look at. You can adjust the depth of soil by altering the placement of the support bars which is nice if you are worried about the weight. I'm sure I'll love the privacy once I add some tall plants. I'll really love these if they aren't rotten in a year, so we'll see.