We laid out all the wood and hardware step by step before beginning which made the process rather easy. We did find it difficult to recognize what direction some boards went in so then they were backward and we didn't have the benefit of guide holes for some of the hardware. Because of that, I give this a 4, but I think this is something my now 3 year old will love for a long time and worth the investment. It took us somewhere between 8-10 hours to construct and the wood is not meant for a full grown adult to sit on but we feel she is totally safe.