The first thing is to see how the kitchen functions if it work s for you then as mentioned above but honestly having drawers made to fir existing cabinet boxes and then having them refinished by a pro will cost almost as much as new cabinets

Buy new. Retrofitting is more expensive than New unless you can DIY all of the labor.

Thanks for the comments, guys! I was thinking of drawers like these. We will have contractors replace the countertops and backsplash, remove the rangetop and double oven, install a range and ventilation hood. Additionally, we want to redo the bathrooms, refinish the floors and do a paint job. All of these are definitely adding up, and it sounds like the cabinets alone will take 5-8 weeks to arrive!!!

If we stay in our current rental during this entire period, we will end up shelling out thousands more (rent + mortgage + utilities at both places). But if we move in while all of this is being done, I am sure we will lose our heads.

Adding all of that sounds great until you price it out, and then price out new cabinets that aren't old, and don't need upgrading. New cabinets win every single time. You will have tons more options, and you will be able to tweak the layout for maximum functionality.

Have any of you heard of old cabinets actually selling on Craigslist? I see them listed, but I wonder if anyone ever buys them.

yes, people buy cabinets from craigslist. I've bought demo sale cabinets which were advertised there, sets from ReStore, warehouse sales, and homeowners. Often, private owners aren't realistic with their prices as they price old cabinets at half the price of new ones. One time I went out looking at a set of cabinets from craigslist and ended up buying the stair railings instead.

I would consider paying $2K for a used set of cabinets that originally sold for several times that price. I wouldn't pay half that for a $3K set of big box store cabinets. Cheap cabinets don't stand up to being removed and reinstalled like high end plywood boxes.

Typically, the only kitchens which have cabinets worth redoing are in properties where buyers don't have major budget concerns. Cheap house usually have cheap cabinets and those aren't worth anyone's time.

Agreed. This house is not cheap by any means. However, I am sure that the cabinets were installed by the original builders, about 18 years ago. They are well maintained. I just don't know what a "realistic" estimate would be.

"New cabinets win every single time."

No, they don't. If you've got some very high quality older cabinets with full extension drawer slides, nice hinges, and dovetailed boxes, it doesn't make any sense to replace them with cheap junk.

Refacers today buy production doors and drawer fronts made in a state-of-the-art factories and are indistinguishable from high-end new:

Of course if you have layout problems those must be addressed, but even fixing those won't necessarily preclude the cost effectiveness of refacing.

We decided to go ahead with Amish made new custom cabinets. Waiting to hear quotes.

There are MANY threads on Houzz discussing the merits of drawers in base cabinets as opposed to "pull-outs"...read them.

Drawers v. pull outs? I have both in my kitchen. My pantry cabinet has pullouts and I have no problems with them but I'm so glad I did drawers for pot and pans. I don't love the pull outs of my master bath vanity. For some reason I always start to shut the doors before the pull outs fully retract and I've scraped the interior.