Super easy to assemble, directions were clear, and pieces were labeled. The use of power tools made this a super fast job, but the whole thing can be done without them. The slide and the ladder were not interchangeable, which was disappointing, but that worked out ok. The mattress we used was a 10 inch memory foam, the slats for the bed were too far apart for the mattress warranty, so we got a thin board to lay over them. The mattress is about level with the rail, if this bothers you, shoot for See full review