I paid for the setup and it only took the gentleman 30 minutes to set up, but I think the setup is easy enough if one tries on their own. I am using this bedframe and headboard with an adjustable base. It fit around the adjustable base perfectly, and the headboard is excellent. The only drawback I have is the gap from the headboard to the bed. Sometimes my pillows will slide between the gap. Normally there isn't that large of a gap, but it's about a 4 inch gap. If I did not have all of these decorative pillows, it would look very weird when you see the headboard upon walking into the room.