Your Name wrote:
I'll be moving into a new house sometime in late August or early September
and it will not be sodded by the builder. The weather around here at that
time of the year is pretty cold. It's not uncommon to get frost in the
morning by September.

What I'm wondering is, whether I should go ahead and sod the needed area
even if it's late in the season, or I should wait until next spring? What
would you do if you were in my situation with the lawn? Thanks for your
time and courtesy.

The best time to start a new lawn is right after the summer heat has passed.
If you're in the US, unless you're up in the mountains, a little frost in
the air in September is not a big deal. Soil temperatures will be higher
than air temperatures, and a little nip in the air shouldn't harm a cool
season grass.

I would also consider seeding instead of sodding. If you have a lot of
money, sod is great. Instant lawn. But just as much prep work is needed for
sod as seed, and if you have a chance to seed at the best time to seed
(fall), why spend the extra money on sod? If the lawn will be covered by
snow all winter, no one cares if there's sod or seed underneath, and by late
spring, a fall seeded lawn is going to look as good as a fall sodded lawn.
And it'll have been less of a stress on your wallet, too.

--
Warren H.

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