We were looking for a larger dining set, as our family has expanded, and my wife fell in love with this set. Once it arrived, we were not disappointed.  The table is very well built and looks exactly like the picture.  The chairs are fairly easy to assemble with one person, but you will definitely need an extra person to assemble the table.  The table top itself is very heavy, which is a good thing, but you'll need help in order to assemble it.  The hidden leaf is very convenient as it is self contained underneath the table, and is very easy to use when needed.  We are actually looking at buying 2 additional  chairs, since the 18" leaf really allows for 8 people to sit comfortably when used.