The assembly wasn't that bad and directions were relatively simple to follow. Just make sure to align the side rails with the 3 screw holes correctly because after we assembled the bed, found the 3 wholes on the side rails where it should be screwed to the bed, were not aligned and had to take the bed apart unless you used a drill and did it manually. Placing the slats in the aligned sockets drove me crazy. Other than that, it's very sturdy, roomy and my daughter loves it!