Assembly was a project for sure, but not difficult. 4 chairs, by the time you're on the 4th, it's a breeze. The bench took 5 minutes, the table was a little more intricate. Make sure you pay attention to the orientation of the pieces, as some of them will assemble fine several ways, only to find out later (when you have to disassemble to redo) that you zigged when you shoulda zagged. The furniture is beautiful, sturdy and I HIGHLY recommend. We purchased a cover for ours as well for the "winter" (in so cal is there really such a thing?).