WE LOVE OUR GAZEBO, but I ended up hiring a local crew to help erect it. Hubby assembled most of the major pieces he could work alone, then I hired 2 other folks to get it all together. it was about 6 hours for the crew to work this out.I would recommend using a quality silicone seal for the footings so no rot forms in the future from water puddling, and install a nice gutter. Rain happens in the great PNW.