Quick backstory;

Hired a "professional" landscaping company to replant our lawn two years ago after we added in multiple flower beds, retaining walls, and regraded the yard. We had a blank canvas. He brought in sandy loam and hand spread seed, then told us to keep it watered. We did so, but it looks AWFUL and has since then.

We have hardly any areas (if any at all) of continuous lawn. It's all patchy and looks like weeds. Also, the yard is very sandy and we have areas that grass never rooted so it's like loose sand.

We are now revisiting this huge project and im trying to get a strategy in place so i have a nice lawn.

I have a few different questions.

1. Where to start? I dont think we have the means or time to kill everything and haul it away and start again with a blank canvas. Can i just do a deep rake to loosen the compacted sand/dirt and then seed? Should i bring in new soil?

2. a couple of companies i called mentioned using lime in the soil. Anyone have experience with this? Same with using peet moss over the seed once we spread to keep it wet do it can germinate. any truth to this?

Side note; we have a great sprinkler system so watering is not an issue.

Thank you for any help! I am seriously so in over my head i'm not quite sure where to start. Very overwhelming,