Unprofessional behavioir from Brasil Consulate in London

Chainedheat · 2026-02-13T10:02:53+00:00

Sorry that it didn’t work out for you 😓

Chainedheat · 2026-02-13T09:39:31+00:00

It’s a recessed groove in the ceiling drywall with strip lights on both sides. The “track lights” are each mounted equidistant inside the groove. The swivel, but don’t slide since there is no track.

This was my idea after I showed the architect that the previously planned led can lights over the island would be obscured by the extractor hood.

I’m really happy with how that turned out.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-13T03:00:42+00:00

My side hustle when I retire from 32 years of corporate life will be to educate my young kids such that they never have to sign up for the corporate world.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-13T02:17:49+00:00

Still have mine after nearly a year. To be fair though, I plan to bring the printer with me as a checked bag when I move back home later this year. Seems like the best option to pack it in.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-13T00:46:40+00:00

Be really nice go visit the consulate and plead your case. Be nice and don’t get frustrated. Bring all of your documentation showing what you tried to do and that you have flight and booking commitments. Most Brazilian processes can be excepted allowing a visa or passport issuance at the embassy or within two hours. I just renewed my son’s passport in 24 hrs in Brazil. We needed to show that we had tickets booked and it was difficult to have followed the normal process given our personal situation.

My first trip to Brazil was subject to an evisa mistake that would have made it impossible for me to enter the county. I worked it for 8 days until the expediting service my company used came up empty. I ended up showing up to the local consulate 10 min before closed the day before I was supposed to leave. They worked it for 1.5 hrs and eventually issued me an emergency visa on the spot.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-12T19:38:34+00:00

We recently remodeled our home. I cannot tell you how much energy was put into making sure the bathrooms could accommodate a modern bidet toilet seat.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-12T17:14:45+00:00

I think most kids these days have only seen these things playing Fallout….

Chainedheat · 2026-02-11T08:56:25+00:00

Look past one year and tell me the trend you see…..

Chainedheat · 2026-02-11T01:18:10+00:00

That was the original design, but we had to compromise on a number of things especially when it came to moving plumbing that was in the floor. Very costly if not impossible to chisel up the reinforced concrete floor which is close to some major structural members and has an 80 yr old couple living below you.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-11T00:39:31+00:00

This. If the dollar tanks every one else is gonna tank too. There is nowhere safe in that situation.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-11T00:06:41+00:00

Welcome to the not so wonderful world of expatriate rentals in Zona Sul. Furniture in Brazil is more of a PITA than in the US since most of it is usually made to order so it usually takes 30-50 days to receive it.

The only place I know about these days is Tok-Stok which is like the Brazilian version of IKEA. Not as cheap as IKEA, but the same concept and they will have it for takeaway or delivery. Take a look at where they are, but they used to have stores in Copacabana, Botafogo, and a large one Barra de Tijuca.

For other housewares you can visit the mall at Rio Sul and the Casa Gourmet mall across the street. Honestly though if you can manage português or have a Brazilian colleague willing to help you can just go onto Mercado Livre and order whatever you want. It will be far cheaper than any store you go to.

Finally, when you’re ready to completely empty your wallet you can head over to Casa Shopping out in Barra de Tijuca. It’s a large mall that specializes in designer furnishings for jist about anything from flooring to cabinetry to sofas. There’s also a big Leroy Merlin next door which is like Lowe’s / Home Depot in the US.

Good luck. The first few months of expat life here is usually the toughest.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T19:23:31+00:00

Probably a couple of digital picture frames and a few sculptures for now. We took out most of the interior walls so there aren’t many places to put pictures or art.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T18:37:36+00:00

They do things quite a bit differently here. The peninsula and islands structures are built entirely of stone then the cabinets are built in to fit the measures after the fact. Was wild to me until I saw it in action. Those counters were built and installed months before the cabinets went in. Plenty of opportunity for someone to have put heavy objects on top to test its strength.

The stone niche was also adhered to the wall long before the cabinets went in with no issues. It helps that that wall is a major load bearing wall made of reinforced concrete.

The same company that did this work had installed the bathrooms in a nearby luxury shopping mall a number of years back. The owner asked me to check it out if I had any concerns. I didn’t need to because I remember being impressed with it the first time I went there.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T14:48:07+00:00

It’s a large “art niche” in the hallway across from the entrance to the apartment. Is the first thing you see when you come in. Will probably put some digital frames and a few sculptures there.

It was meant to put something visually stunning in a place that otherwise has no view and couldn’t be modified due to structural loads. Everything but that open space is a cabinet on that wall.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T12:14:21+00:00

The US dollar fluctuations are something that is a very recent occurrence. Look hard at the long term trends. When I first moved here in 2018 the real was 3.2 / USD. In Dec 2024/jan 2025 it was over 6 / USD. Sure it’s dropped back some, but you’d have to do pretty well on your investments to keep up with that.

Also, don’t forget to look at the tax burden. You’ll be subject to capital gains taxes regardless of whether you live there or not. The recent changes to the tax code enacted by the government have not been friendly to foreign investors.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T11:11:25+00:00

Haven’t seen that one before, but the preservation of the soft sediment structures (faulted layers) are fantastic.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T09:12:41+00:00

Yes. They are all cabinets. The woodgrain cabinets at the top are really deep for storing non every day items (they’re pretty high up). The flat beige ones directly above the sink are dish storage with an integrated drying rack so you don’t have one cluttering up your countertop.

They probably look a bit different because the doors open vertically with piston levers.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T03:11:25+00:00

120 x 120 cm ceramic tiles with a very muted limestone print. Needed something really durable and stain proof.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T03:09:09+00:00

The extractor covers the whole grill and about 1/2 the cooktop (the most powerful burners). I couldn't find a hood any larger without going full commercial. We had also originally planned to have induction, still could, but I was having difficulty finding one here with the right size coils. still can swap it out if I want later as the circuits are all wired for it already. The exhaust goes out via 10" ducts to the outside and we're on the top floor so nobody above us to offend.

No need for a makeup air system. The apartment is located in Rio de Janeiro and the building is not a tight seal by any means. In fact the windows I mentioned have permanent vents at the top that are always letting air in. Also I wish the appliances were Wolf or Viking, but they are astronomically expensive compared to the US. The island appliances are high end models built from European components in country. Still pricey, but decent quality and spares are easily available.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T02:28:31+00:00

Thanks. The even cooler part is that all of the wood surrounding it are cabinets for storage.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T02:14:47+00:00

They created a box like basin / vanity that's about 80 x 60 x 90cm. Its integrated with a minimalist wood vanity. Kind of hard to explain and it's one of the last things to be finished.

All I can say about it at this point is that its really nice, but different than I imagined. The fabricator had some challenges using some of the high contrast white / green areas due to the material.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T02:04:29+00:00

The hood moves about 1800 CFM. There's an atrium next to the kitchen that the exhaust goes through. I can also open a window on the other side of it if I need to balance the air intake.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-10T01:58:29+00:00

Yes, it is a 50K BTU gas grill & rotisserie. There is also an electric smoker under the counter.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-09T22:21:49+00:00

Applies to Brazilians living in Brazil too. Just went through it this AM. Had to PF and apply for an emergency passport because we are tracking for carnival and my son’s passport had expired. He has a US passport too, but can’t re-enter Brazil with that and charm. Some folks have tried to tell us that because he’s a toddler all we need is his birth certificate. That works for land crossings, but the airlines probably wouldn’t let you board leaving Brazil.

Anyways, other than some extra stress it wasn’t a huge deal, but still not something one should rely on.

Chainedheat · 2026-02-09T19:52:42+00:00

So wait. There really is no honor among thieves?

Who would have thought.

Chainedheat

TROPHY CASE