Yard Guys- How do you Prep for Grass?

I ended up doing a lot of what @K.O. SWINGER suggested above.

First, I pulled and/or cut down all the high weeds. I'm not a weed guy, but a lot had hollow purple stalks. Then used Roundup concentrate. I did 3 applications. After a month I rented a rear tine tiller from Home Depot and tilled it. Rocks galore...from small to 10" type stuff. Glad it was a rented tiller!

Then I used a steel rake to even it out. Didn't want to invest $1000 in top soil so I left the small stones and covered with probably an inch of compost the local nursery calls top soil. Put lots of seed down and used wheat straw to cover it, the watered it regularly.

It's not perfect, but it's much better than 6 foot high weeds. The weeds haven't returned in mass, just here and there. We have 4 dogs and lots of trees so I know a pristine lawn is not going to happen. I'm happy.
The area is a rectangle in the back about where the sun/shade line is running left and right from fence to fence.

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