I have been a long time lurker, but this is my first post. I apologize in advance for the length. As background, I have done a fair amount of lawn work including installing an entire lawn (sod) at my last house.

We just moved to another house in the area. The house has several (10+) large (60-80 ft.) sycamore trees. The front lawn is in pretty good shape, but has a large dry spot in the middle. I checked to make sure the sprinkler coverage was adequate and it seems to be.

I was perplexed by the dry spot so I started surfing the forums and quickly realized that the problem was probably under the surface. Upon close examination, I could almost see the outlines of roots very close to the surface. The problem area is quite a distance from the sycamore trees; however, it is where the lawn starts to slope so the roots that are deep enough closer to the tree get closer to the surface as the lawn slopes downward. I am pretty sure the lawn is suffering more this season due to the extreme drought and heat. The tree roots are easily winning the battle for water, but the lawn has not responded even when I try to spot water this area.

With that as background, I am having a difficult time figuring out next steps. I have excavated the are with a shovel and mattock and removed the roots that were at the surface and some that were slightly deeper (2-3"). Although I am pretty sure the root removal will not harm the trees, but we are going to be removing the trees in the next couple years anyway so not a huge concern.

My mine question is about grading. I am going to properly prepare the soil via amendments; however, I am worried that the area in question will settle lower than the rest of the area. The area is approximately 10 x 20 in the middle of the lawn. I installed a lawn at our previous house, but it was smaller and I did the entire lawn so getting it even was not as difficult.

What is the right plan to properly grade and avoid it settling low? I originally planned on starting with a uniform depth with the amended soil and compacting every 3-4". Not sure if I should be watering the soil at each step. Matching the grade initially is pretty easy using the surrounding lawn as a guide. I am fine letting the soil settle for a 6-8 weeks if necessary as I am not keen on planting sod in the mid-summer heat, but would appreciate advice on how long it will take the soil to settle or what I should be doing in the interim.

Last question - I have used Marathon Sod in the past and intend to do so again based on the specific need (shading, drought resistance, traffic, etc.). I am not sure what the existing grass is and would love any advice on how to match or if that is important other than for appearance.