The backyard of our house we moved into back in June is fully shaded which is great but there is no grass growing. We're ready to bring in some sod but I want to check every avenue before dropping the coin.

Our first option was Fescue but they say it needs at least 4 hours of direct sunlight. We will also need to overseed one or two times a year so it will be continued work.

One guy we talked to (who was super helpful) recommended Zoysia since it reseeds itself and only requires 3 hours of sunlight, though a little more would only help.

There might be a little bit of light poke through here and there but would this kind of sunlight be enough for either one of these grasses to grow or does it need solid direct sunlight? And which would y'all recommend and why?

We just don't want to spend the $1800 on sod if it is just going to die. We'd much rather pay the extra bit to trim/cut trees if it gets us the end result we want.

Trim the trees nowe, it's just smart. Save some money and wait until Spring to lay down sod, it will take root better and less will die.

Pruning the trees would be a good start. Just make sure you hire someone who knows what they are doing. There is a big difference between "Pruning" and "Trimming" You dont want someone to hack up your trees.

what about St augustine grass ?

Other options
--shade tolerate very low growing ground cover
--artificial turf putting green and chipping area
--dump about 30 bags of mulch back there and spread it around: then plant shade tolerant plants of your preference back there
--rock garden

I legitimately though about turf but I have a dog and would rather not shovel poo every day.
Our flower beds were lined with dime sized rocks by one of the previous owners and we've shoveled it all into piles so the guy bringing dirt in can take them all away. Definitely don't want to mess with any more rock!
The other options would be last resort. We'll have to do some research and find pictures of shaded backyards and maybe get some ideas there.

the sock companies we called recommended either fescue or Zoysia. But I just want some grass back there so if St Augestine would work, I'd be willing to look into it

good call. I figured if I tell the tree people what we want that they could look at the trees and know exactly what to do. We have a giant cottonwood and 4 or 5 pecan trees. the amount of raking we've had to do the last few weeks has been horrible so I won't mind a little pruning/trimming lol

Astroturf

You must have Pecan trees....same here. You will have to research the name of the stuff that Pecan Trees produce that kills the grass and go from there. By using a Harrow type thing that scratches the top of the ground, you can seed it. Something I have to do as well. I don't think you will need sand unless you have low spots.

Winter- Undercut trees, thin the canopy so they are not grown together, maybe remove a few (especially the cottonwood), and kill everything where you want the grass to be.

Very early spring- pre emergent and total veg kill anything where you want grass again

Spring- plant your grass

Amen to this.

I have large trees out front that are causing an issue with my original lawn...I plan on having trees pruned by Arborological Services in February and putting sod down as soon as spring breaks.

I was considering putting sod down this fall and have talked with several horticulturalists that completely talked me out of it...dealing with mud now but the new year will be a whole new story for my yard.

I plan on sodding with Zoysia.

Annual rye will take care of things until spring.

Trim the trees or make some beds and install Dwarf Modo grass. Zoysia will be about the same shade tolerant as St. Augustine.