Yes, you can overseed fescue into a centipede lawn, but it is not easy. When we moved into our house (Durham), the builder had layed centipede sod. I went the whole summer with centipede at 2.5" tall, until late August. Over the course of two weeks, I mowed the centipede every 2-3 days, slowly dropping the blade each time, until I had it 1-1.25" tall. The aggressive cutting shocked the growth and since we were headed into a cooler period, it never was able to green back up and stayed short. This allowed me to aerate and top dress with organics, then seed with 5 different TTTF seeds. I let the fescue grow up to 2.5"-3"+ before mowing. Reseeding every year in the fall will be a must. When the spring comes, keep the fescue tall and it will shadow the centipede, not allowing it to green up until much later. By the time the centipede is ready to green up, the fescue will have a good root and be strong. The next thing you need to keep in mind, is to water and feed the yard for fescue and not centipede. Year after year, you will gain some ground. Again, in the fall, cut the grass shorter (maybe 2") and reseed with different fescue. I have found when it gets really hot, the fescue will start to go dormant and the centipede will strengthen up. The main issue I see is the growth rate. The fescue will grow much faster and 3 days after cutting, the grass doesn't look even. But after you cut it, it looks like carpet. Funny note: Every house in my neighborhood has centipede sod. Every year before the centipede has greened up, but the fescue is going strong, someone always walks by and ask why my grass isn't deal dead like theirs. I always play dump and I say, "Im not sure." and smile.

If others in your neighborhood grow Bermuda, and it seems to do well there, then yours should too. With lots of sun, tall fescue will also work, which I personally prefer over Bermuda. It's less invasive, stays green all year when healthy, and because it grows long puts down a deeper root system. It also looks really nice when "striped." It's been many years since I researched Bermuda, but my memory tells me that it's pretty difficult to grow from seed, albeit not as hard as Zoysia. Fescue is easy to sow, though I wouldn't do it until the fall. Your plan of cutting short, topdressing, sedding, topdressing sounds viable to me. I would add compost (I like Black Kow) to the topdressing as well. You should also press the seed into the soil. The flat side of a garden rake works fine for relatively small lawns, although you'll want to rent a roller for anything of real size. Good luck.

crouch- If you believe your soil is compacted, you should consider aerating as part of your late summer/early fall lawn care program. Try sticking a long (6" or so) screwdriver into your soil. If it is tough to get it in to the handle, you may well have a compaction issue. Not sure where in Jersey you are, but right around Labor Day is when I get into aerating/overseeding activities in CT. Cold overnight temps, shorter days, and an abundance of maple leaves makes October much too late around here for a high success rate with kbg overseeding. I was absolutely blown away with the results of my efforts last fall, which I moved up to Sept 2-4 (I know everyone says "fall overseeding," but "late summer" would be more precise). Of course I'd love to pat myself on the back as some sort of lawn guru, but the truth is we had pleasant days, not too cool nights, regular rain, etc. right into Thanksgiving! With crabgrass dying with the first good frost, I may not automatically reach for the roundup. I have found that cutting my existing crabgrass/lawn as short as possible and bagging/raking the clippings allows me to seed immediately without the use of roundup. If timed properly, the desirable seed germinates and gets strong enough in the fall so I can apply a pre-m in the spring to prevent the crabgrass seed from germinating. I wouldn't necessarily give up on it this year, but I can't expect you will get optimal results at this point either. I would heed billhill's advice about organic material and watering. KBG is a notorious slow germinator. I would also seriously consider having a soil test done. I understand you wanting to be able to mentally turn the corner on this one way or another and nobody likes to see their hard work go unrewarded. Maybe adjust expectations downward and hope to be pleasantly surprised now. Armed with the knowledge you can gain on this board, this may well be the last spring you need to endure lawn envy.

There is a lawn forum on Garden Web that might be a more appropriate spot for your question and has a bunch of experts/enthusiasts. Be sure to say where you are when you post since advice is often based on location. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/lawns FWIW, in my area the idea time to seed or overseed a lawn is early fall, around mid-September when the soil is warm but the air is starting to cool some. To seed a lawn now, you will need to top it with straw (not hay) or other light mulch to help keep the soil moisture as even as possible and reduce the likelihood of seed washing away. Investing in a hose and sprinklers will help keep the soil moist, not only now but all summer if there isn't sufficient rain. You can overseed in the fall for any areas that didn't take well. Adding some white clover to the mix may help the soil fertility over time, but will give you a somewhat different look than an all grass lawn. Depending on your budget, getting it hydroseeded after you do your soil prep may be helpful and give you a better result, though it will cost more than seeding it yourself.