I'm about to embark on a complete replacement of my lawn. I've done a lot
of research on the net and find advice to be evenly divided between using
Roundup to kill the old lawn (and weeds) and removing/chopping up the old
lawn with a lawn cutter or tiller.

Being a lazy guy, I'm attracted to the Roundup method but I have one
question. I plan to resod, not seed. So, if I just lay the new sod over
the old lawn, won't I end up with a lawn that's a inch or so higher the
the
old one?

My advice would be to go a different route altogether.

If you go the RoundUp route, then you'll need to make 2 or 3 applications
over about a 3 week period -- the RoundUp won't kill it all on the first
application and it takes a solid week to two weeks for things to really die,
especially weeds. It has been my experience that a two week period is the
least necessary to ensure that plants are actually dead.

Something else to consider is that you cannot simply put sod over top of the
existing grass once dead either -- the area should be broken up, preferably
with a tiller, and raked. This is to ensure that the roots of the grass
meet with loose soil rather than compacted dirt. In some cases it is
advisable to amend the soil as well.

Your best bet is to simply reseed. If you break up the soil in dead areas
then drop seed it will come in nicely. Overseeding is usually best and
you'll have some missed patches but it's by far the easiest route to go.

If you're really set on replacing the existing lawn my next question would
be -- is it also sod? If so, there are sod cutting tools you can rent that
will basically scoop up the sod at the root level and cut it into swaths.
These can then be reused if you like (always an added benefit) or easily
disposed of if you prefer. Sod cutters come in a variety of shapes and
sizes but they can be rented for around $50-$100 a day.

As for the question on raising your lawn -- the method you initially
described using would certainly raise your lawn about an inch or so
(uniformly at least).

James