I did the back yard. Even though it's larger than the front, it ended up yielding the same amount of thatch.
I'm hoping that liming the ground will prevent the moss from growing back in the future. I dethatched by hand last year without any long-term success (and with a ton of time invested). The power rake I used this year was far easier—but it's still a huge pain in the ass.
I hear salt does wonders for keeping stuff from growing back :)
Yeah I do suspect that will solve that whole, you know, growth problem.
--D