Took about 3 hours to build and to make sure it was secure, but it was worth it. We put mats underneath it and the kids were a lot braver then we would have been to climb it! No fear! It is pretty sturdy on the way and there are multiple points to secure it, so we don't have any worries it will break off or dislodge. The stairs themselves are incredibly strong and sturdy, and they are very well made and there is no doubt that they will not break -- it is a thick, thick piece of solid wood. My only complaint is that they are a little slippery in socks, so we might add a little friction stripe on them to help the kids that way.Otherwise this is fun for kids who like to climb for sure. It is expensive but it is also good quality, so it adds a nice bit of color and character to a playroom. I wish there was a better way to lock it down and keep kids from playing on it all the time when there isn't supervision, that is my only main concern, but that is less of a product issue and more of a parenting concern that you should take into consideration if you are putting it in a play area that is commonly used while you are just generally supervising kids (like if you are cooking dinner).Otherwise it is a good size and goes right up to the ceiling, making it very tall! The easy of assembly wasn't tooooooo bad, but it takes a little bit to get all the rungs screwed in which is probably the hardest point. Also we were paranoid about drilling a hole in the wall, so that was also a concern we had that we had to take precautions before we did that to make sure we didn't have to fix a mistake later (i.e., drill wrong spot). So measure 2-3 times before you do this!Overall we are happy and our kids are happy with it, definitely add some mats under the spot for peace of mind.