I'm so glad that we decided to make this purchase. My husband and I searched for a while (online and in store) to find the perfect cat tree. We have no regrets about this purchase. My husband put it together with ease. It is very sturdy. My twins love to sit on the first step to pet the cat, but they know that when she climbs up high, it's alone time. Small children don't always understand the importance of giving animals their space~this solves that problem for you. 
My cat absolutely loves the enclosed area for sleeping, and she can't get enough of the multple scratching surfaces. We got very lucky and found this item on sale around Thanksgiving, but if I had to pay full price, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.