If it is carpet, cushion, and labor for 17 a yard, you will not like your choices. if it carpet only, you have a fighting chance to like what will be available.

the govt has made retailers swith to SF pricing many yrs ago. 9 sf = one yd so we are talking less than $2 a sf. That does buy some cptng but not much. More realistic budget would be around $2.50 a sf then you have a broad assortment. I worked for Mohawk for many yrs and I can tell you that stepping up from base grade to a midgrade makes a huge difference. I do like Smartstrand and cpts with an appearance retention warranty.

$3 per square foot is about mid grade. You're not going to get much for your allowance.

Thank you all for your help. Not what I wanted to hear, but information I needed to know.

Thanks.