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. 8 K4 s1 c% I* m ' R d! L$ e( Q% f7 K o- tof course, this all depend on how long you plan to live in this house too.8 M0 ^/ ^1 b y% K1 u