JerseyMike wrote:
my front yard faces SSW and gets pummeled by the sun all summer long and
growing grass is a real pain in the butt, every year it's a struggle to keep
it green thru the months of July and August even w/ watering. i've used the
Scotts 4 step every year but i can't keep it green and it makes the house
look like snot. i've weighed the options that i can think of and i'm
leaning toward using stone fro the front. my pros and cons are too long to
list so if anyone has any thoughts or ideas, their own experiences would be
helpful and i'd appreciate it.

Personally, I think Scotts 4 step is over kill. You are fertilizing in
months where heat may drive lawn into some dormancy and additional
fertilizer could drive to futher browning.
I fertilize spring and fall only and use good stuff that only costs
about half as much as Scotts. Lawn may not look like a golf green but
requires much less maintenance.
If you live in NJ, as post suggests, you get plenty of rain and "stone
lawn" would look out of place.

Frank