A great stocking stuffer this year is the Q-knot. It’s a great replacement for rubber bands around unruly power cords and AV equipment. I also found a great use for two Q-knots linked together, a baby proof lock for the under the kitchen sink/filled with nasty chemicals cabinet. I highly recommend a bag or two of Q-knot’s as a stocking stuffer.

Check out the Bayer Advanced Facebook page for more details:

http://www.facebook.com/BayerAdvanced

Here is what I found

There is definitely something primal about giving a tool to your dad for Christmas or even Father’s Day. It doesn’t have to be a hammer or circular saw to get the job done either. The way I figure it, as long as it helps to get something done or makes his life just a little bit easier, you are good to go.

Black & Decker® SmartSelect™ Cordless Drill

This one is a no-brainer, literally. The innovators at Black & Decker have truly added something different and useful to the power tools market with this bad boy. Sporting their new SmartSelect technology, this cordless drill will automatically adjust its speed and torque settings based on the application. All dad needs to do is turn the easy-to-read dial on the side (it even has pictures) to match his job and viola. Your dad will love the flexibility and power and you’ll love the fact that you can borrow it any time. Available in 12V, 14.4V, and 18V models.

www.blackanddecker.com
18V model: $79.99

Dremel Multi-Max™ cordless oscillating tool

The perfect gift for a DIYer that tackles jobs in places where conventional (plug-in) tools are not ideal, like removing grout from an outdoor shower or cutting drywall in an attic.  Check out dremel.com for pricing and availability.

Swiss Army® Swisscard

I don’t think any tools guide would be complete without throwing in a bit of Swiss Army. As part of their 125th anniversary collection, the Swiss Army Swisscard is more than a tool – it’s your chance to give your dad a piece of history. This little workhorse is packed with nine different tools: a letter opening blade, scissors, straight pin, nail file with screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, ruler (English and metric) and a pressurized ballpoint pen. It’s about the size of a credit card so it won’t give your dad sciatica when he crams it in his back pocket.

www.swissarmy.com
$65.00

Garden Groom Pro Rotary Hedge Trimmer

This little baby does for hedges what the Dyson did for carpet. Created in England, the Garden Groom is the world’s only rotary blade electric hedge trimmer. Spinning a 12” blade at 2700 RPMs, it cuts and shreds to make clipping disposal even easier. It’s powered by a 500W electric motor that will let your dad rip through branches up to 3/4” in diameter and the clippings are collected in the attached receptacle. If he has bigger bush to manage (and who doesn’t?), it also comes with a detachable collection bag that holds 700 sq ft of shredded shrub. And don’t worry – a metal guard protects the blades so you won’t have to worry about pop’s fingers becoming part of the mulch pile.

www.hammacher.com
$199.95

Stanley 55-099 Fubar™

This one is worth it just for the name alone – and, yeah, they trademarked it. The Stanley 55-099 FatMax® Xtreme™ Fubar™ Functional Utility Bar is the most badass utility bar that your dad will ever own. This thing is straight Mad Max and will no doubt become an indispensable part of your old man’s arsenal for years to come. So what does it do? It’s a 4-in-1 tool for prying, splitting, board bending and striking jobs. It has two-tiered jaws for grabbing common dimensional lumber & decking and a beveled nail slot for pulling & prying nails. Nothing says, “I love you dad” like a piece of cold, hard Fubar.

www.stanleytools.com
$39.90

Swiss Tech BodyGard® 7-in-1 Emergency Tool

Are you as worried about your dad crashing his car into a water-filled ravine and drowning needlessly as I am? Well the guys at Swiss Tech want to make sure it doesn’t happen, with their new 7-in-1 Emergency Preparedness Tool called the BodyGard. This chrome-plated beauty will give your dad all he needs to escape his car as it quickly fills with water, including a spring-loaded glass breaker and seat-belt cutting blade. It’s also great for those drier emergencies where things like a sonic alarm, flashlight, and tire pressure gauge will come in handy. Small enough to fit on your dad’s key ring, he shouldn’t leave home without it.

www.swisstechtools.com
$29.99

Leatherman® Skeletool® CX

When I saw the Skeletool by Leatherman I imagined that this is what it must be like when H.R. Giger (Google him) is asked to design a Swiss Army knife. Your dad will dig the DLC-coated stainless steel handle with an almost indestructible carbon fiber insert. This great gift takes the bare necessities from the Leatherman multi-tool and presents them in stripped-down style. With a 154CM combo stainless steel blade, pliers, bit driver, pocket clip and carabiner/bottle opener, you’re set. Lightweight (a miniscule 5oz), low volume, perfect size. The Skeletool CX is a great example of the less is more mentality.

www.leatherman.com
$102.00

C.H. Hanson Precision Ball Level

Want something to help keep your dad on the level? OK, that was pretty bad, but you have got to see this step change in level technology that is sure to hit the mark with dad. The Precision Ball Level from C.H. Hanson is touted as the first quick-read, multi-plane, multi-use level. I don’t care what they call it – all I know is that it is damn cool. It uses a 360° precision cast aviation ball instead of the bubble in water most of us are used to. This is the same technology being used by pilots all over the world. This level lets you easily measure if a surface is level or plumb with a quick glance at the crosshairs on the ball and it’s the only level on the market that lets you measure angles and pitches.

www.chhanson.com
$50.00

Friendly Robotics™ Robomow® RL1000

This is definitely in the category of gifts for the dad that has everything (including a son with tons of coin). The Robomow RL1000 is brought to you by the same people that make the Roomba robotic sweepers. The Robomow® RL1000 is an automatic lawnmower that cuts the grass all by itself. After your dad sets up its weekly program, it will depart from its Base Station at the pre-set scheduled days and times. At the end of each operation it returns for charging until the next scheduled operation. It comes with a 21” mowing deck, built-in theft protection, and even has a manual mode. (Though I’m not really sure why.)

www.friendlyrobotics.com
$2,500

HK1 Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench

I am not even sure I really understand how this one works, but it is definitely high on the hip factor. This is the world’s first liquid core adjustable wrench, and it will virtually replace every socket and wrench your dad owns. Talk about a space saver, this little gizmo can adjust to over 23 different standard and metric sizes.To adjust the HK1, just open the valve, fit it around the nut or bolt of your choice and push the gripper on the opposite end. It will compress the internal liquid, which will, in turn, push the gripper on the end you want. Once it’s snug against the nut (just like we like it), close the valve and the wrench is locked into position. This is a truly original idea and those are pretty damn hard to come by.

www.expeditiontools.com
$25.00

Coffee Cup Power Inverter

($30) Coffee equals power, so this gadget makes a lot of sense. Place the cup-shaped device in your car’s cup holder and plug in to the accessory port. Now you have two 120-volt AC outlets.

Digital Measuring Tape

($25) When you need to measure with decimal precision of 0.0625 of an inch, go with digital measuring tape. This gadget will memorize the measurements you take for easy recall later.

Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drive

($70 to $140) Keep the contents of your USB flash drive top secret with military-level encryption. The Ironkey even self-destructs your data after 10 failed password attempts.

MagnoGrip

($15) Give this convenient wristband to magnetically stow bolts, nuts, nails, drill bits, and hex wrenches until needed. No more searches for fly-away screws. The magnets are strong enough to hold a hammer.

Li’l Guppie Multi-tool

Remote Control With Bottle Opener

$24
We’re suckers for convenience, and sticking a bottle opener on an universal remote control is every bit as convenient as sticking a mini fridge in a TV room.

The Beer Belly

$35
Speaking of classy, there is nothing less classy than an apparatus which makes a person’s gut look bigger while encouraging them to drink beer from a tube. Then again, with its 80-ounce capacity, the Beer Belly’s wearer will never have to pay the ridiculously exuberant price for suds normally charged at football stadiums and fine dining establishments.

This post will cover the kitchen design and install process chronologically from (Home Crest) cabinet and (Kobe) range hood install by Dream Kitchens & Bath, to the granite counter provided by Mystic Granite & Marble that was installed by ADP Surfaces.

A view of the granite being installed and leveled next to the opening for the range.

This LINK will take you to the Orange County Florida website where details and FAQ’s are listed.

If you are looking for the ordinance as a pdf to read all of the details follow this LINK.

Now that we bid farewell to the POD its time to get the landscaping started!  The first item on the agenda is a lawn and for that we have three choices; seed, plugs or sod.  Seed is an option but we want results, fast, so we are going to Sod.  For this aspect of the build Southern Sod Services has sponsored the “sodding,” so stay tuned to our live show every Saturday from 11AM – Noon and keep checking inthehouseshow.com for updates on the project house.

For those of you that are wondering what “plugs,” are  or want to know the differences between seed, sod and plugs keep an eye on the In the House Show calendar because we will have Cary Atherden from Southern Sod Solutions on-air in the next few weeks to answer this question and more.  If you have a specific burning question that can’t wait email it to; inthehouseshow@gmail.com and we’ll get you an answer immediately plus give out the answer on-air when Cary is in the studio live.

04/14/2010 update:

Cary Atherden of Southern Sod Services visited the project house today and sprayed a herbicide to remove noxious weeds prior to sod application.  This would have been the only treatment needed, however, a patch of wild bermuda grass was seen on the edge of the property.  As Cary states; “It is a very aggressive grass, and unless eradicated prior to installation, it will invade and eventually dominant (take over) the new lawn.”  Because of this discovery a second and possibly third herbicide treatment will be performed prior to sod installation.

Pictured is the Bermuda wild grass that must be removed prior to sod application.

04/29/2010 update:

Today Steve Divito and his crew with City Beautiful Landscaping arrived at the project house to install the irrigation system that is needed to keep the lawns and garden at the project house looking pristine.  The project house features two zones, with zone one controlling the front and side of the house and zone two controlling the backyard.  The backyard features an organic raised bed garden.  Because the garden has different watering requirements than the lawn City Beautiful Landscaping also installed a garden watering attachment where up to six separate hoses can be attached to water larger plants directly at the base.

City Beautiful Landscaping arrives at the project house for the irrigation system install.

The project house backyard during initial layout of the irrigation system. Note the raised bed garden and flag inside indicating the garden watering attachment placement.

05/04/2010 update:

Today Cary Atherden of Southern Sod Services arrived at the project house to install the sod.  At this point all irrigation had been installed by City Beautiful Landscaping on 04/29/2010, as well as all herbicide treatments have been completed in order to suppress weed growth, to give the new lawn a good healthy starting point.

Cary Atherden sets the pallets of sod around the project house yard in order to minimize walking and maximize installation efficiency.

The project house backyard minutes before sod installation.

Cary Atherden of Southern Sod Services rides the roller which ensures the sod in pressed flat into the existing ground, thereby removing possible imperfections.

For more pictures of the irrigation system or sod installation please check out the Project House Page and click on “Exterior of House.”

Featured in this pictures are the Home Crest cabinets being used in the “In the House,” Show project house on display at the Central Florida Home & Garden Show (2010). The cabinets feature Amerock model BP52998-G10 decorative hardware which was provided by Amerock for the project house. The kitchen is being installed by Dream Kitchens & Bath, a show sponsor immediately following the Central Florida Home & Garden Show.