Question
Hi Ron,

I live in Mississauga Ontario.  This past spring my neighbor came to me and asked if I would help him with his lawn.  The condition at the time was a very sparse weed filled lawn.  Rather then re-sod we decided to do the following:
1. pull as many weeds as we could
2. applied a treatment of lime to adjust pH
3. spread 1" deep of soil on entire lawn
4. spread shade grass seed liberally on entire lawn
5. topped that with more soil
6. lawn was watered daily for two weeks twice daily for 10 min.

The house is located on the south side of the street facing north.  Plus, it is a tree filled property.  The backyard or southside of the house receives some sun early in the day for a few hours.  The front on the other hand receives very little son.  Therefore, we chose shade seed for our purposes.

Weather - for most of the summer we've had a very wet, cool summer.

Watering - they may have over done it.  Once the lawn was established they continued to water early every morning for several weeks.  I told them to stop to once thoroughly unless we get rain.

Initial Results - the lawn came back beautifully.  Thick with excellent colour.They were thrilled with the results.  

Current Results - I'm noticing the lawn on the southside looks good but the front lawn is very sparse.  Not only is it sparse but it seems to be week and thin. I don't see any weed development at this time but I'm concerned that will just be a matter of time if the lawn doesn't fill in more.

Diagnosis - I'm not an expert but I don't feel its pest related.  I don't see grub damage or cinch bug damage.  I'm concerned that possible over watering and lack of sun may have caused development of mold, mildew or a fungus.  I've read into this but have found little in the way of remedies.

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on how I can get the lawn back on track?  I'd appreciate any advice you have.

Thank You,

JB

Answer
The main difference between the front and back yards appears to be that the former is more shaded. All the pre-treatments were exactly the same and the seed germinated and grew well at first. (Over)watering must account for the sparse front lawn now.
If conditions permit, I'd say reseed the front lawn and water adequately to ensure germination and establishment. Thereafter, water only as often as required to keep it growing well. I expect that it will require less watering than the back. You might have to put the two areas under separate watering programs.