We purchased this for our daughter for Christmas (2010) and she Is already in heaven!! I started assembly Christmas night and finished this morning. I have to say I don't know what all the fuss is about, I assembled this by myself ( and I'm no skilled artisan, I am 5 months pregnant, and dont like to get my hands dirty) it took about 16 solid hours. The instructions are very thorough if you actully read them, more than just the pictures :). And if you go into this with a clear idea of two full days of work, you won't get frustrated or hopeless. As others have mentioned I would STRONGLY suggest inventorying all you pieces ahead of time, and alphabetize them(and numerical order), preferably somewhere flat and free of clutter/debris ( like a garage floor) start with A's on the left, finish with S's on the right, it's only 4 boxes of wood, it'll take about 2 hours with 1 person, and will save you days!! I promise, do the same with your hardware and screws, keep lag screws together, wood screws together, hex bolts together, and washers, those are used most . I would personally suggest an electric drill for the sake of power, speed, and less bulk( you will be doing a lot of pilot holes in thick wood) but if you have multiple batteries for a cordless, go for it. This product is Amazing, Ive never seen my daughters eyes light up like this! It's simple but timely assembly, and one thing after another of magic and surprises for the kids, not to mention plenty roomy and spacious for adults to play along too! A must buy!!

We bought this Skyfort II 2 months ago. It took my husband roughly 20 hours to put it together.Our 3 year old couldn't love it more. We are out daily for at least 2 hours a day so he can play on his Skyfort II. He uses every feature on it. His favorites are the slide and the climbing wall. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Good product that looks like its pictures. Two "moderately" skilled guys spent three full days assembling. Only missing one board (a P1) and three screws (for the slide). Everything comes in effectively four boxes (there's actually five, but the slide occupies one box by itself). Hardware is well labeled and sorted in plastic bags, lots of different sizes and shapes, so keep everything you aren't using at the moment in its respective bag. Only real criticism is the fact that all of the boards, and there are a lot of them, come with ink stamps that vary from clear to indistinguishable to no where to be found. The boards are however well documented in the directions as to what you're looking for so though frustrating you can work around the poor stamping when it occurs. Be sure you level the base right from the beginning and use a level then and thereafter! Grandkids love it, so all the trials and tribulations of building were ultimately worth it, enjoy!

The skyfort II swingset really surpassed our expectations! It is a great product and my girls love it. It is super sturdy and the wood is of great quality. It does take a ton of work to build it so have plenty of people on hand. My husband is a home builder and he had several of his friends come and help him build the playset. They started on a Friday after work and finished Sunday night. Definitely worth the work!

My husband and I had already bought a smaller one room playhouse by this same manufacturer and we were reluctant to add another piece so large, but it was a HUGE hit. We bought this set for our 5 year old daughter, but once built we found that all of the neighborhood kids (and some of our family friends up to age 12) joined in the fun. Plan a long weekend to put it together, but expect outstanding customer support. We were missing a couple of pieces which were immediately replaced by the manufacturer. TIPS: 1) Seperate your pieces and take inventory right away. 2) Be careful not to over-tighten the green double swing unit. I don't recommend using a power tool on that one. 3) Spray the pieces front and back with a sealer BEFORE assembly. We assembled and had to seal after the fact. Bad plan. It's a lot of work afterwords. Do the work on the front end and save time and effort plus take care of the task more efficiently and effectively.

My kids absolutely love it! My husband put in together by himself . We layed out all the pieces the first day which was a big help !! It took him 3 full days but the instructions were very clear . Lots of bolts and parts seemed overwhelming at first but with patience it's easily done . Also there was free shipping !!!

This is a great swingset for our 2 children- ages 2 and 4. Overall we feel like we got a fun, quality swingset for the price we paid. It shipped fast and we had it within a week of ordering. We originally paid for the installation part but the company Sam contracts with (Go Configure) cancelled their appointments 3 times within a week and a half. After being on the phone with their 800 number and a local manager for over an hour total along with the cancelled appointments, we were fed up with them! It took 2-3 weeks from when we had the boxes at our house for the first appointment to get scheduled too. So after a month of having the boxes we decided to do it ourselves! It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. The pieces were all labeled and the boxes all had inventory sheets. I was the part finder while my husband (and father in law for 6 hours) put the pieces together. Overall it took my husband and i one 10 hour day (with my father in law helping for 6 hours) and one 6 hour day with just my husband working on it. So not nearly as long as the website says. It definitely helps if you have some power tools though! I would definitely recommend this to a friend but DO NOT PAY FOR THE INSTALLATION unless you want a big hassle!

We have had this playset for about a year and it is holding up well. There are many different activities and it can easily entertain 5-6 kids without them running into each other. I love the crows nest, but our kids don't go up there yet, but the slide and swings are a big hit. The climbing wall, ladder and monkey bars make me a little nervous because our kids are still small, but even our not quite 2 year old navigates the ladder well, and our not quite four year old fly up the climbing wall with ease. Assembly was a major task, but the directions are adequate if not great and you will get there if you inventory the parts and take a measured approach. I have some concerns about long term look and durability, as some of the boards seem a little thin for some of the stresses they endure (kids swinging on them, running and jumping on them), and the finish is also not great and is starting to show wood underneath already. However, until these become major issues rather than just speculative concerns, I am fine.

We purchased this set for our kids, 3 and 6mo. My 3 year old LOVES it! I know that will last the time test and they will both enjoy it even more as they grow. We did purchase 2 baby swings to hang for the time being and had to put a board over the entry way for the monkey bars since my daughter is not big enough for that feature yet. The only negative thing about this set is the assembly. We ened up paying a local contractor to put it together which was still better than my husband trying to tackle the project himself. Overall I am very pleased!

Took a couple days to assemble -- most went well, but fellows said instructions could have been a little better as to certain things. Looks very nice when finished; kids love it; however, wish the quality of the wood was just a little better. On the ladder, when assembling, one of the legs of the ladder actually split, which is quite noticeable on the finished product. I would say this is a pretty good set -- but was more expensive than most I looked at -- so I expect it to last and wear well.