Oh yeah, St Aug will absolutely take over if you water weekly, mow it at the highest setting, and only fertilize 3x per year. I absolutely rely on that fact in my back yard. We got some bermuda in it a few years ago during a drought period when I was not home to water right. The St Aug died from the drought and common bermuda filled right in. Two years after that, with some TLC, it's all St Augustine again. Now we have a new puppy so all bets are off. One area will be mulched so he's not a muddy mess all summer, but we're hoping to keep the sunny area green with St Aug. If you inset the stepping stones enough to keep them below the mower, then you will be good. Many years ago my dog wore a path from our back deck to the garage. I had a local decking guy build a wooden walkway, deck style, following the curving dog path. It turned out beautiful, much better than we pictured at first, and lasted 15 years until we remodeled the yard again. The dog was very happy to walk on the wood, too, so everyone was happy.

I suggest waiting for the weeds to be in full vigor. Fertilize now with an organic fertilizer (alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) are good). App rate is 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Then in two weeks spray with this stuff... This is some bad stuff, but it's the only thing that will flat wipe out the weeds and not kill off the St Aug. Just spot spray the weeds. Don't spray the entire yard. But do get all the weeds. That's why I suggest fertilizing first to get them all healthy and ready for death. They will not die right away. It will seem like the stuff didn't work, and then, SUDDENLY, all the weeds will be gone. You can only spray that stuff once per year. Even if you spray it again it doesn't seem to do anything, so make the most of it.

Actually, I'm sorry to recommend tightening the purse strings in such an economy but you might recommend if she attend religious services or some type of social club to ask for someone in her neighborhood at those functions. They are liable to have simply applied too much weed killer in an area and killed the grass. As her friend monitor the service for her and help her make new arrangements if need be. Since I've been on disability I have a budget so tight that every time I need to buy something I think it over, over and over. And furthermore, before I moved into this house (by the way I save money compared to government HUD rent and will own this house in 15 years although most home buyers lucky for me scoffed at this house as it's not a new one and requires minor improvements) I lived in government HUD apartments and the government housing professional caretakers were frankly a negligent disaster. In fact the Somerset Housing Authority lost a 3 million dollar law suit after they had residents pleading to remove a large unstable tree but they ignored the pleas and the tree fell on an innocent pregnant woman and killed her. They actually have the nerve to appeal the decision but I expect they'll loose. In my time there I had to complain repeatedly about the neighbors dropping heavy things all day and night on my ceiling and infesting the apartment building with bed bugs! I also called the police on several occasions. I witnessed professional exterminators come in a spray a squirt or two of insecticide in the apartment knowing that was useless. I told them about trees and plants growing to the apartment gutters where the grounds maintenance was so negligent and a year later no change. I watched the meter readers fabricate false meter readings for both electricity and natural gas. I had to go to their office and challenge the false readings. I had to good to their office and file complaints against the exterminators. I had to go to their office and file complaints against the neighbors. I eliminated the bed bugs and roaches myself by cutting off the central heat and not using the gas stove for 3 months and washing everything multiple times, including the inside of the vents with Pine Sol. The roaches and bed bugs simply avoided the cold and Pine Sol and stayed in the neighbor's apartments that weren't killed by the Pine Sol and lack of food not that they need much. The above are 'services' from college educated professionals in service to the US government so help out your neighbors when you can. A university professional isn't smarter than you. They are simply educated in a niche that you aren't. And look at US government in Congress and the President and Wall Street and tell me you're going to listen to them and accept everything they say automatically? No way! They sound like the banal comments section on YouTube or 1/2 dozen other web sites. And these lawn service give people with no experience and often no real interest in horticulture jobs caring for lawns simply because they applied for work. Lots of times you don't get what you paid for.

karenfharr, perhaps the easiest issue to address is the 'bahia'. It is not a good idea for the reason you mentioned and the fact that it seeds very frequently. In the summer, bahia lawns are mowed more often to remove seed heads rather than to cut the grass blades. Those seed heads in patches on your front lawn will not look pretty. The easiest way to check on the mowing height is to have the operator set a short length of 2x4 lumber (provide a piece) edgeways, between the mower blade and the driveway; it should be an effortless fit. Note the settings on the mower and insist that (s)he reset (if necessary) the cutting height when he mows your property. If you cannot be there, use the top of a sprinkler head as reference and try to measure the grass height in the morning and again in the afternoon after it has been mowed. After a while you will be able to look at your lawn after it has been mowed and tell if it was done at the correct height. It will make for good relationships in the future if you let the OWNER know of any concerns you may have on the very day of service. The local extension office should have some advice on how to choose a lawn service. I gather that the tough weeds are crabgrass and nutsedge. Each requires specific chemicals and meticulous application techniques. Insist on having the CPO come out and provide you with a plan and time expectation BEFORE you sign anything. Be prepared for a fairly lengthy battle - at least one year. Adopt "caveat emptor" as your mantra whenever you have to deal with either service.