I've seen a number of blogs that have used Ikea cabinets then upgraded the doors with fronts from semihandmade.com. You can buy the Ikea cabinets without the fronts. That way you're not paying twice for something you're looking to upgrade.

Look at J&K cabinets.

You want Barker Cabinet, Conestoga through the Cabinet Joint, or Scherr’s. Look them up in the search engine here, then check out their web sites. If your builder will be doing the ordering, all three are pretty similar from what I’ve read. If you are doing it, be aware that you will get no help at Barker. All made in USA, btw.

No cheap imports will ever equal the quality of even basic American made semi custom. Medallion, Kraftmaid, Showplace, Diamond, Koch, etc. Get off of the computer and into your local cabibet shop. Up your budget to a realistic amount. $350 a cabinet is bottom of the barrel garbage. Double to Quadruple that for the level you are describing. Plus install costs. That’s going to be 25-50% of a small job cabinets for cost estimating. But it’s essential for an old house where nothing is square, plumb, or level. No homeowner owns enough clamps, levels, and shims, to get that close to right.

Thanks for the advice.

I've read up on Kraftmade, Diamond Barker, LillyAnn and others for weeks, but we were told if would be around March before we would get them through the people we spoke with on some brands. Varies, but yes, we have called most of the "listed" cabinet places locally as well.

We have found some APC cabinet boxes for 350-450...thats not an issue. The problem has been lack of verifiable reviews, bad ones or too long of a wait on most of those. She can't be without a kitchen for 2 months.

It's also not easy to get her out due to health issues, so again, I decided to look online. We may try Lowes again on the upgraded Diamonds, Kraftmaid, etc... the last trip nobody was there that could order or had a brain.

Just looking for names of reputable places we can get a quote from online or have standard 36" bases in stock. I've covered a lot of brands, but you have to take half the reviews with a grain of salt. RTA is doable as well.

“Just looking for names of reputable places we can get a quote from online...”

You want Barker Cabinet, Conestoga through the Cabinet Joint, or Scherr’s. Barker allows you to build a quote online. I believe the others will send you a quote in a day or so.

You’re not getting anything of quality until January, at a minimum. April for the really good stuff. Good brands don’t build stuff and have it sitting around. They build to order only.

Looking into a few of those brands now, thank you. Was able to find a place locally that may work tis afternoon, but am still figuring out who the cabinets are actually produced by.

They seem a little too cheap compared to others though at $310 for a 36" base. Plyood except for the doors.

Is your "local place" someone who is building the cabs for you? or just another retail outlet? It seems to me that you should be able to find a local carpenter/cabinetmaker who will build them at a reasonable cost. Especially if you live in a region with an Amish or Mennonite population reasonably close.

I found a guy by googling "frameless cabinets (my state)".

ETA both Barker and Conestoga have had good reviews here over several years. I haven't looked at their prices lately.

For the price of good American RTA, you can buy the already assembled junior American lines that are a step down in some choices, but still have hundreds more choices than something minimal and stock like IKEA. Medallion Silverline, Kraftmaid One, Diamond Vibe, etc.

You could try Crown Point Select line https://www.crownselect.com/ although their lead time might be too long for you. We have used Crown Point (custom) or Crown select (semi custom) in our whole house and the quality and customer service is fabulous. We had a painted door in a bathroom that was chipping/flaking 10 years past install and they came and replaced the door front at no charge. Really happy with this company. Shoot them an email, they usually respond quickly.

Go to Lowes and Home Depot and ask what the deals are for Kraftmaid. We ended up with Kraftmaid through Lowes and got 30% off (lowes promotion), an additional 10% off (kraftmaid), an additional 5% off for opening/using Lowes credit card (and 6 months no interest), plus free delivery, free paint fee and a 10% rebate via lowes gift card... we ordered a few weeks ago and they are being delivered in 2 weeks, so 5 weeks from order date. Already got our gift card!

Also, I priced out 5 different places before deciding on Lowes/Kraftmaid and it was the least expensive for the best quality (and already assembled) and "extras".

If getting them FAST is your priority...then check out J&K. You can get un-assembled in a week or fully assembled in two to three weeks. Since the tariffs, they are more $ than they used to be. But if you want good quality fast, they are your answer. What state are you in? I'm in Ohio if you're close and need help. If you can't find a J&K near you, then KraftMaid Vantage (all wood construction) through an independent dealer is a very good quality for semi-custom.

Is this an insurance job? Why isn't she getting all new cabinets? Uppers should match the lowers....unless she likes her uppers and wanted to keep them.