if you're planning to spend $ on the carpet (surface layer), then you should plan to spend $$ on the under layer. a good under layer will let your carpet last a lot longer. when you walk on carpet with good under layer, you'll feel a lot more comfortable too. 0 k" J3 O5 j/ _7 B3 R. C9 r! O 5 L9 O, u& J1 z& W( o7 u2 \of course, this all depend on how long you plan to live in this house too. , Z% A" m3 M6 P' n