So today we removed the drop ceiling from the kitchen and surprisingly, it all came down rather easily. Our goal is to salvage the built in cabinets if at all possible. The previous owner's son told us that the cabinets were built by his grandfather when they moved into the house around 1941. The cabinets do have issues, chipping paint, latches not working, handles and hinges need replaced. Even with all these repairs, we could save tons of money by keeping them. Not to mention the history that comes with them makes for good conversation.