If your lawn is thin, patchy or full of weeds, you have two real choices: seed it or sod it. Both can work. They just get you there in very different ways.
Seed
Pros: lower material cost, and a wide choice of grass types.
Cons: it takes time, and timing is strict. NC State Extension says the best window to seed tall fescue in the Piedmont is early to mid September, and spring seeding of tall fescue is not recommended (NC State TurfFiles). Clemson Extension notes a newly seeded lawn needs watering two or three times a day for about two to three weeks (Clemson HGIC, Lawn Establishment). Heavy rain can wash seed away, and weeds can move in before the grass fills in.
Sod
Pros: you get a finished lawn the day it goes down. Clemson Extension calls it an instant lawn and recommends it when quick cover is wanted or to stop soil erosion (Clemson HGIC, Lawn Establishment). It holds slopes, crowds out weeds from day one and has a much wider planting window than seed.
Cons: it costs more up front, and it has to be installed quickly. Sod should be laid within a day or two of delivery.
Some grasses only come as sod
Many zoysia lawns are only practical as sod, since the low, slow types are not grown from seed (NC State Extension Gardener Handbook).
Our take
If you want the yard usable soon, you have a slope, or you have missed the fall seeding window, sod is usually worth it. If you have time, the right season and patience, seed can work. Either way, the soil prep underneath is what decides how the lawn does.
Text your address to (803) 902-3960 for a free sod quote.