We purchased this with assembly and it was all done in about 2-3 weeks. Thank goodness we paid the extra for assemby; definitely worth it. Reviews said it took an average of 40 hours to do themselves and when we saw pics of the hundreds of pieces laid out, we said heck no. With an actual assembly team, it still took almost 14 hours. The fort on top and picnic area on bottom are appealing as well as the monkey bars, which are harder to find these days. There were some minor dings and scratches. The wood is pretty but not as strong or resistant as I had imagined. Still, I would recommend this to everyone searching for an affordable higher-end playset.