Raaj, many many grasses do well here in Southern California, so we are fortunate to have many options.
It will help people to make suggestions if you can tell us

1. How drought tolerant do you want your lawn?
2. Is there shade or sun or both in the area?
3. What kind of irrigation system do you have?
4. Are you on a budget or is the sky the limit?

I have St. Augustine and Zoysia, and I love them both. They are both inordinately expensive, but they are both shade tolerant and use about 1/3 as much water as Marathon. The zoysia does not need to be mowed. The St. Augustine does not need to be mowed in the winter. Neither goes fully dormant in my yard- both stay green year-round.

Renee

Renee
Look below for my reply
1. reasonable amount of water is fine ie it shouldn't consume more water or it doesn't have to be drought resistant.
2. mostly it has sun, but very few sections have shade.
3.i have sprinklers all over.
4. i don't know what it would cost for 4500 sq ft lawn. could you let me know approximately how much it would cost for the sod , labor by professional to install. having said that, i want the mid range price (ie not very cheap or very high price).

Get at least three estimates from sod installers and go from there. It varies. The sod itself is cheap to buy. Preparation is the most important thing. Sloppy preparation and a lot of the sod dies leaving you having to replace it, or you have uneven lawn and end up with soggy spots and burnt spots. Good preparation matters.

Sod is cheap; the water and maintenance (mowing, fertilizer) is what costs money.

A good idea is to check weather conditions and install the sod when at least a week or two of cool, overcast weather is predicted. This helps the sod to establish more easily and helps you avoid dead spots that need replacement.

thx. could you answer the initial question of mine ie What are the recommended sod grass options for orange county (in Southern California)? Could you please also let me know why it is recommended and also any wholesaler around that area who sells it?

Do a web search for "recommended turfgrass for California", there is a site compiled by UC Davis that has exactly the information you're after. As to prices, there are also plenty of listings for turfgrass suppliers on the web and in the phonebook. Get yourself informed about the proper steps for best installation, either on line or through reference books at your local public library. You might also be interested in looking into turfgrass alternatives such as no-mow mixes, sedges as a lawn alternative, etc.

Personally, if you don't really need all that square footage in turfgrass, there are more interesting less water needy alternatives to lawn these days. Your local water agency probably has demonstration gardens locally with examples of different turfgrass examples, as well as demonstration gardens with lawn alternatives to save water. A general principle is to keep the lawn area as small as possible or eliminate it altogether and use less water.

I agree with bahia. Unless you want to spend your time tending to your lawn. I would recommend a lawn free yard. I suggest this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Reimagining-California-Lawn-Water-conserving-Practices/dp/0978997123/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn free

TTTF (turf-type tall fescue) is the preferred grass type for this area. Excellent shade of green and does not go dormant in the winter. You may have to reseed in the fall yearly though as the Summer heat can thin it out. Look into Marathon III, which is Marathon's newest dwarf variety.

Sod such as the Marathon is probably the most commonly installed one throughout coastal California north and south, but it definitely isn't as drought tolerant as some of your other choices. If low cost and ease of availability are your primary criteria for selection, this is probably your most likely logical choice. One of the hybrid Bermuda grasses are also commonly used in s. California and need less water, but they also need containing edges to keep them from invading shrub borders, which also adds significantly to installation costs.

As you can tell, there is not just one recommended lawn for Orange County. there are a lot of variables, such as sun exposure, water use, maintenance, etc.

Below is a link to more information about lawns in Orange County.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawns an turfgrass in Orange County