On 21 Jul 2004 08:38:31 -0700, Greg Miller wrote:
several years of half-hearted spraying and picking. The grade is
wrong; it slopes to the middle of the yard.

So basically I want to start anew. My intended course of action is to
flip over the lawn (after the fall) by shovel to a depth of 8" (so
that no weeds return). Then bring in topsoil and grade. Leave over the
winter for further settling. In the spring, fix any holes caused by
settling and then seed.

I think you'll be badly disappointed in the results. Depending on your
feeling about glyphosate vs. organic solutions, what I'd do is nuke the
current lawn, either with a Roundup clone or by solarizing. The solarization,
if done properly, will reduce the number of viable weed seeds in the soil,
while the Roundup or similar won't.
http://www.homestore.com/HomeGarden/...lants/Weeds/SN
ST_Solar.asp?poe=homestore (mind the wrap) or http://tinyurl.com/5oyv3

Hire someone with the proper equipment to till and regrade this fall, then
reseed promptly. You don't want to leave the soil uncovered for the winter,
and fall is the best time to replant grass in most of North America. By late
spring, you should have a fairly thick lawn, ready for first mowing.

Some information on soil seed banks (which is what you're dealing with):
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/~weeds/...9/bioeco/lifec
ycle/seedbank.html#Seedbank%20Size%20and%20Quality (mind the wrap)
or http://tinyurl.com/3zfsw and:
http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/mgmt/qtr00-1/seedfate.htm and:
http://weedeco.msu.montana.edu/class...0/lecture5.htm