stuck on laying sod

The step most people skip is the soil prep. Sod wants to sit on bare, raked, slightly moist soil, not on top of the old grass. Strip or kill whatever's there, rake it level so there are no bumps, water it the night before, then lay the rolls in a brick pattern with the seams tight and no overlap. Then the bit that kills most new lawns: water every day for the first two weeks, enough that it's damp under the roll when you lift a corner. Stay off it until you can't lift that corner any more.