Chuck wrote:

I have one big question though. I'm not sure if it's cost effective to
build my own cabinets or to go out and buy some decent quality ready
made ones.

Another thing to consider is what a wide range of prices ready-made
cabinets come in. About a year and a half ago, when we remodeled thanks
to Hurricane Katrina, we went with fairly high-end Kemper cabinets
(plywood sides, dovetailed drawers)in maple. A kitchen and den setup
that consists of 33 raised panel doors and 17 drawer fronts, ran well
over $20K just for cabinets (no countertops or installation). A set that
would be perfectly acceptable to most people could probably be had for
1/2 that, if you don't mind skimping on some of the details. So it
really depends on what you want to end up with.