Like most of you I would like to have the best yard in the neighborhood

As a concerned yard enthusiast I would like to get your feedback on some questions I have.

My new home is being built in a a brand new sub-division in the DFW area. (Frisco to be exact)

As I drive around the neighborhood I notice how the landscaping contractors just throw down sod on top of the ground without much care. I can see where some sand has been put down but not much. The irrigation system is laid on the ground and then the sod is placed directly on top.

The new sod has started to grow in on these new homes now and I can't help but notice how bumpy it looks.

I will have Tiff 419 installed. I close on my home at the end of September. I have purchased a 04' Tru-Cut H-20H-7 reel mower along with all the other proper equipment needed to maintain the yard.

My questions are as follow:
When do I level the yard? Should I wait till next May or is that too soon? Money talks with the contractors.. I can easily pay them some cash on the side and have them level the yard before they place the sod down. If I do this then, would the yard still need to be leveled once it has had the time to grow in?

Should I be concerned with the sod being laid directly on top of the irrigation system? Would this be a problem when it comes to aeration?

What are the precautions that should be taken once the yard has been set in placed? Being that it would be so late in the year do I continue to fertilize?

If you had this blank canvas, how would you treat it?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

That is the most bone headed thing I've heard. That is so dumb I would have never thought someone would do that. The sprinkler pipe should be at least 6 inches deep with risers and good pop ups. You might think about buying the popups and not let them use the cheapos. I like the K2 brand. Check out their YouTube video on how to adjust them. The contractor can run a Ditch Witch trencher through there and be done almost as fast as just laying it on top. When they finish covering the system with soil and before they put the sod down, ALL the soil needs to go on the trench. Don't let them feather it out and make it perfectly level. There should be a mound following the trenches. Then when that soil settles (give it 3 full years), it will all settle back and make everything level again. You will be way ahead of the game if you can get them to do that.

Also if the standard tree is a live oak, you may as well spring for the St Augustine now. In San Antonio St Aug costs about $50 per pallet more than Tif 419. Live oaks make a dense, 60-foot wide canopy that will make much more shade than bermuda will ever take. Also if it is a live oak, have them put it out toward the street so it can form the canopy. The tree is going to drag on your house no matter where they put it so don't fret about that. One good shade-tolerant St Augustine is Palmetto. As long as you are planning for shade, go ahead and get a good one for the shade. One to steer clear of in the shade is Floratam. Floratam is great in the full sun but won't be as good a Palmetto.