This bed is so nice, especially for the price. It is a little heavy to carry inside, but if you can lift a mattress you should be fine with the boxes. My little sister and I built it on our own, and it took about an hour and a half. I have a box spring that's 8" and a memory foam mattress that's 12" and there's still plenty of space left. When I put pillows it covered most of the head, but they were large pillows, the tallest pink ones are 28"x28". The gap around the side is about 1" big, but it is not noticeable at all, especially with the blanket on, and the mattress does not move, it stays in place. It is a great buy and I am extremely happy with this purchase.