I built this sucker by myself (well, with two little monkeys under 4yrs old helping me) successfully! Everything does need to be laid out and read before starting because its a pain if you put a piece in the wrong way. Pretty self explanatory for the most part though. We have a super tiny room and this was the only bunk bed I could find that would fit and isnt super high, so their heads dont hit the ceiling. Weve had this for a couple years now and still love it and no issues with anything breaking. I also like that theres enough space under the bed to fit baskets (of toys or clothes), and we also store the crib mattress under the bed.