For taller people the added lift is easy on the knees getting in and out of bed. I tried the memory foam mattress using only the bed frame, and the overall height was still too low. The box spring stabilizes the frame and the mattress. When the box arrived the side of the box was torn, however,  the box spring was in its own separate box.  Fortunately,  there was no damage to the fabric panels. Putting it together was easy. It maybe took 20 minutes. However,  it was too heavy for one person to carry the entire box since we have a physical disability,  so we removed the pieces and took upstairs separately. Down sides the box spring has about a 2 inch gap so you can see the slats in the bed frame. Also, the King size blankets don't cover the sides of the bed to accommodate for the added length.