I have a house in the country outside of Houston. The house is on a 3 ft high dirt pad and is surrounded by large Oak trees, alhough sunlight does get in.

I would like to put some sort of top soil on the "gumbo" that the house pad is made of, and then cover the top soil with Bermuda sod.

The local soil companies tell me most people just put down bank sand and St. Augustine though.

I don't care much which top soil I use, as long as it works, but I would really like to use Bermuda sod (we don't have gutters yet on the house), rather than St. Augustine.

Will Bermuda sod work?

There are three things important to getting
grass to grow - compost, compost and
more compost. One the soil - under sod
and on top of the sod.Adding humates can
help. If shade isn't to bad, bermuda should
be ok.
Robert d Bard

If you wish to have any other plants growing in your yard in addition to the bermuda turf, you will need to have raised beds in stone. Even then, the bermuda may be right there, choking the plants out, or at the very least, looking unkempt. Bermuda is the most invasive turf I know of. It is highly frustrating to me, living in a place that has bermuda after living with the ease of St. Augustine for 37 years. I am in constant battle with this beast, pulling it out from between my iris, daylillies, lavender, rosemary, and even mint! Just to let you know...