So I am mistaken and according the the zone chart I am in Zone 6 = Brrrr!

August was when you should have started this project. What you should have done was spray the RoundUp and continued to water it daily for a week. Then spray again a week later to kill anything that sprouted with the daily waterings. The ground ivy will be a serious issue for you. Killing it on your property is one thing. To stop it from coming over forever you would have to build a reinforced concrete barrier at least 6 inches deep into the soil and a few inches higher than the soil. It would look like a curb between the two properties.

Never rototill in preparation for a lawn. You will begin to be sorry you did about 2 months later and continue to be sorry for a full 3 years as the soil settles and becomes very bumpy.

Never add topsoil unless you want to change or correct a drainage problem. Otherwise adding top soil is almost guaranteed to cause a drainage problem. If not now, eventually.

Never add manure unless you want to stink up the neighborhood for 2-3 weeks. No need to elaborate on that.

Never add manure unless you are trying to kill your lawn. The quantity of manure needed to do anything practical is enough to smother a lawn. Plus manure is a biologically "hot" material that will burn roots and kill the plants.

If you are not a lawn perfectionist, you might consider an alternative turf like Dutch white clover. It never needs fertilizer, rarely needs water, and rarely needs to be mowed (if you can handle 5-inch high clover). Mix that with something like creeping bentgrass and you'll have a pretty nice turf. Creeping bent is considered a weed by many but mixed with clover it is not so bad.

You can learn a lot about your soil by doing a Jar Test. Look it up here or Google. That will tell you about your clay, sand, and silt content.

Yes, the seeding window for a lawn is pretty much closed where you live, and rushing a lawn renovation is not a great idea. In a way, it's good because to do it right, you really need a year to get your ducks in a row. The first thing I would do is get a good soil test. I recommend the $20 basic test from Logan Labs (www.loganlabs.com). If you want to seed something this year, I would probably go with annual rye. It germinates fast, tolerates the cold well, and will die next summer since it's an annual. About the only thing I would do is give the yard a good raking to remove all the dead stuff, thatch and leaves, as well as roughing up the soil. You could also rent a power rake for this step. Spread the seed, add some starter fertilizer, and keep it continually moist with three short waterings a day. In three to four weeks you should have what looks like a lawn. Next year you will be adding amendments to correct soil deficiencies as well as using herbicides to kill weeds. Once summer rolls around and your grass starts dying off, you will be close to redoing your lawn. I assume you want grass, and for the record, using creeping bent would be a big mistake.

So I have done some research and it seems that Kentucky blue, fine fescue and perennial rye are good for my area. Now I think I'm going to do a lawn soil test. How hard is this mix to maintain?

Also, I'm kinda glad that I don't have to rush he process. I guess it's the procrastinator in me. I don't mind not have a lawn immediately so I probably won't be seeding this season. Maybe I'll get the power rake early spring. I'll keep up on he lawn and leaf maintenance this fall. So, since bent grass is out of the question, should I be going with the recommended seed mix for my area of Kentucky blue, fine fescus, and perennial rye when I do Finnaly seed? Or is there a better lower maintenance mix I should be looking for.

So no manure. What about topsoil to refresh the lawn? A landscaper came out and made that suggestion. But wasn't quite sure. I will be taking a good raking to the lawn to remove the debris and what not. Anymore suggestions?

Btw, I still need a lawn mower. Lol. This is how much of a newbie I am!!!

Any other suggestion on hat end?

Hanks in advance - joe

Creeping bent is definitely an alternative lawn.

If you mix them, don't mix perennial rye. KBG and fescue mix well. The problem is not so much in the eventual outcome as it is in getting it started. Ryegrass germinates in a week, fescue in 2 weeks, and KBG in 3 weeks. The problem is many (most?) people see the fast germination of the rye and think that is all the grass. The cut back on the 3x per day watering too early and they never get any KBG. KBG is the work horse of these lawns. It is the one that will fill in all the gaps between all the rest of the seeds. If you know this in advance, then you can go ahead and mix the three. Just remember you need to water daily, 3x per day, for a full 3-4 weeks to get 80% of all the grasses germinated. Don't stop early.

You do not need topsoil to refresh the lawn. You do not need it to refresh the soil either. What you likely need is that soil test followed by, or even preceded by, organic fertilizer. A lot of people will tell you compost is what you need. Compost will do the same thing, but compost will cost you 6x more than the organic fertilizer needed to get the same effect. This year the organic fertilizer I like the best is alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow). Apply at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet at least once and your soil will improve a lot. Apply as much as monthly if you want to improve it a lot and do it fast. You can get a 50 pound bag of alfalfa pellets at your local feed store for about $12 this year. This late in the season...if you don't use all the alfalfa, wait a week or so and put it all down. Being an organic feed, it gets buggy and maybe ratty or mousey. But if it is on the ground, they will not bother it. It gets moldy right away - and that beneficial fungus is exactly what your soil needs to become refreshed.

@dchall_san_antonio:
Sounds good. So from what I gather from all the info this is what i should do.

1. rake up all the debris, thatch, etc...
2. soil test.
3. organic fertilizer.
4. reseed (early spring or early fall?)

So one more time. WHat should i do with the old existing lawn? should i leave it there and reseed over it? or should i take it all up when i do the initial rake and deris clean up.
Are there any other steps i should be looking to do? Like Tiemco said i like to get all my ducks in a row. I feel like a 3 year old when it comes to dealing with this lawn and I need some reassurance that I am doing it at least somewhat right.

Thanks again for all the assistance and the quick replies!!!

You aren't seeding this Fall, so just leave everything there until next year. The organic matter will help the soil and it will help prevent the lawn from getting muddy this winter and help prevent erosion. You can verticut and clean up before seeding next Fall.

@grass1950...

Sounds like a plan. I guess i get ot be lazy for a little bit longer.

Now i have to jump on the Lawn mower forum and try to figure out what to buy!!

Yes, unless you insist on having the lawn of the month, just take a year to learn how to take care of the lawn.