u/caviarandcigarettess

Booked a last minute trip in a week and curious if at this time of year (August; seems like it should be low season?) we need advance reservations for stuff or if we can just kind of wing and it play it day by day? We have kids so prefer to kind of see how things go before booking things officially.

-Dinner at popular restaurants on the beach

-Massage at the Sand Bar

-Excursions

I have a normal BMI but I’ve struggled to fit into my pre-baby clothes despite the numbers because I’ve started carrying more weight in my midsection. I work out and try to eat healthy balanced meals but the problem is I work a demanding job, my spouse travels a lot so I am often solo parenting my kids, and my kids are high needs (both neuro diverse). I can’t stop stress eating and snacking which negates my exercising and attempts at meal planning. Based on this, I was told a low dose of semaglutide might help me improve my relationship with food, but I am curious what other people’s experiences have been.

This is the first floor plan of a 2-story house we're building on a relatively narrow urban lot.

The plan is finalized so please don't tell me I screwed anything up because it's too late :)

The only open issue is whether we want to flip the orientation of the house so the garage is on the right instead of left.

The back of the house faces due west, so I'm wondering which orientation makes the most sense in terms of not being crushed by afternoon light in the summer. We're in the northern hemisphere so I think the sun will set to the top right of the floorplan (NW) in the summers (not worried about winter).

Is this orientation or the flipped version better for minimize the impact of being blasted by late afternoon sun in the family room during the summer? Or would allow the deck and potential patio to take advantage of shade in the summer?

We are planning on having a pergola over the deck (as pictured) and will build out a bigger deck once we get landscape design involved that will have an uncovered fire pit + a covered dining area.

https://preview.redd.it/oqrxv4oikfdh1.png?width=499&format=png&auto=webp&s=d85c090fa79851fc41cf38f76c5e4b3e0bb5583c

This is the floor plan for a house we're planning on building on a narrow-ish urban lot. The backyard of the house faces due west, and I'm concerned about heat / lack of shade. During the summer, I understand the sun will follow a trajectory to the top right (NW).

We are planning for a deck (pictured) plus a big patio that we haven't fleshed out the designs for yet. We will do a pergola / louvers to cover the patio for shade, but we're not sure where to put it.

Our builder asked us if we wanted to flip the orientation of the house, so the patio is on the left side (SW) corner of the house instead of where it is currently. Would that create more shade in the afternoon / evening when we prefer to be outside than the current orientation?

If we did this, how might we orient a patio won't just be blasted with late afternoon sun?

https://preview.redd.it/uxo2aptrifdh1.png?width=499&format=png&auto=webp&s=24793e1f424ed979fba80fc4e92964c819a976e4

Hi folks! We are looking to build a 12.5x18 deck (trex) that flows into a patio with space for dining + firepit / Adirondack chairs. We’d like to cover the deck and the patio over the dining section with a pergola with louvers though we don’t mind manual louvers if that saves money over electric.

Does anyone have recs for local folks that can provide budget estimates? I want to get a few bids before doing too deep with any vendor.

Thanks.

We just got back from a day hike to Big Pine Lakes and have a few questions that we can't figure out...

1. Is there a trail that goes to Lake 7? At the beginning when the trail splits between SF Big Pine and Big Pine Lakes 1-6, it seems like there's no trail to Lake 7, but then when you hit the offshoot to Lake 6, the sign says "Lakes 6 + 7" implying another lake beyond Lake 6. However, when we got to the end of the trail at Lake 6, there was definitely no Lake 7 visible, and we could not find any other path to lead to another lake. Where is the path to Lake 7?

2. I noticed in AllTrails that there's another trail to Lake 6 that we could have taken (in red) that could have taken us to the lakefront instead of above it. Has anyone taken this trail? What are the conditions?

https://preview.redd.it/p5qm86i4mq8h1.png?width=1292&format=png&auto=webp&s=9b8018492d46c313ee4c0ed4561f487f760e576f

What is the range for an interior designer to pick out finishes for a custom home in the Chicago west suburbs?

Does anyone have recs of people they’ve worked with and liked? I need to see social media portfolios to make sure the aesthetic is right because we need someone to pick out everything.

Thank you!

Shoes question: I usually like hiking in trail runners but I made the mistake of doing that for Mt. Whitney last year and the rocky descent ruined my feet. Going up to Big Pine Lakes soon and would really love wear trail runners, but want to confirm how rocky the trail is compared to Mt. Whitney.

Also, are waterproof shoes recommended at this time of year or is everything dry now?

Hi! I am looking for an interior designer to help us create a cohesive plan for a custom build in the near western burbs. We are located out of state at the moment, so we need local help.

Ideally my goal is to pick out my own finishes remotely from out of state for most things and run my choices by the designer for feedback on cohesion, color, etc.

Then I’d like to come to Chicago after we have a rough sketch of finishes to spend a day going to shops in person, seeing how selections look in the framed house under normal lighting conditions, etc.

Then once the finishes are finalized, I’d like for the designer to be available to drop by and supervise tile installation ad hoc as requested.

I’m not looking for a complete full service designer but something in between. Does this kind of service exist?

Does anyone have any recommendations for local designers with affordable rates who could do something like this? How do I even find a designer - is there a central place I can see local designers and their portfolios?

https://preview.redd.it/kgw0oboo3czg1.png?width=846&format=png&auto=webp&s=979e6385e402f9f5a98248d8159da206c43a84da

The primary bedroom is located in the circle of this pic. I can't decide what to do with the ceiling. The normal ceiling height is 9' but as you can see, the ceiling above this room is sloped on 2 sides so I don't think vaulted will work.

At first the architect drew a tray ceiling starting at 9' but going up to 12' in the center. I thought it might look weird and he came back with a 2-step cake ceiling, which I feel like is going to look too busy.

What are some options for an elegant way to add a bit of ceiling height in the primary bedroom without doing something gawdy?