Let me start by saying this-I am a 60 year old female with no  experience in assembling something this big so I was hesitant to do it myself, but the wonderful woman I spoke to in customer service said she thought I could do it myself and save the $140 assembly charge. Well, she was right! I have never felt so empowered. It took me about 3 1/2 hours. I gave the piece only 4 stars because there were some faint scratches right out of the box and the finish seems to chip easier than I had hoped, but the unit is really nice looking. Instructions are easy to follow although daunting at first. I was expecting the doors or shelves to be off center and not line up right but was wrong again. Nice piece at a great price. Very satisfied!