Once you know what you are doing and have all the pieces grouped together... assembly is quite easy. HOWEVER... I find that the entire tree is pretty wobbly. I have weights on the bottom to keep it grounded but the upper half still sways when my cats are on it. I will have to find some way to anchor the tree to the wall. Also... I had to use a knife to punch through the fabric of one platform for the screws to go through. 

The huts are not like they are in the picture... but that may be my fault for not double checking the placement of the screws/holes. I do not have the patience to take apart everything just for that though. The fabric material is nice and soft - I would say indoor use ONLY.

Overall... this is a pretty good cat tree for the price!!!