Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

When you reach out to us or browse our site, here's what we might gather:

Personal Contact Details

Your name, email, phone number, and address - basically the stuff you'd put on a business card. We need this to get back to you about projects, consultations, or if you've signed up for our newsletter about sustainable design trends.

Project Information

If you're working with us on a design project, we'll collect details about your property, preferences, budget range, timelines - all the nitty-gritty stuff that helps us create spaces you'll actually love. Sometimes this includes site photos, property documents, and your wishlist of features.

Technical Data

Like most websites, we automatically collect some tech info when you visit: your IP address, browser type, what pages you looked at, how long you stuck around. It's pretty standard stuff that helps us figure out if our site's actually working properly.

Communication Records

We keep records of emails, phone calls, and meeting notes. Not in a creepy way - just so we can remember what we discussed about your project and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

How We Use Your Information

We're not selling your info to random companies or spamming you with junk. Here's what we actually do with it:

• Project Delivery: Can't really design your dream sustainable home without knowing what you want, right? We use your info to create designs, communicate updates, coordinate with contractors, and make sure everything runs smoothly.
• Customer Service: Answering your questions, following up on consultations, sending you that floor plan you asked about three times because email's weird sometimes.
• Legal Stuff: Contracts, permits, building regulations - there's a ton of legal paperwork in architecture. We need your info to keep everything above board and compliant with Canadian building codes.
• Improving Our Services: Understanding what pages people visit helps us figure out what info's useful and what needs work. If everyone's bouncing from our sustainability page, maybe we need to rewrite it.
• Marketing (With Your OK): If you've said it's cool, we might send you updates about new services, design tips, or case studies of projects we're proud of. You can opt out anytime - no hard feelings.
• Portfolio Purposes: With your explicit permission, we might feature your completed project in our portfolio. We always ask first and respect if you'd rather keep it private.

Who We Share Your Data With

We're pretty protective of your info, but sometimes we need to share it with others to get the job done:

Project Partners

Contractors, engineers, suppliers - the folks who help bring designs to life. They only get what's relevant to their part of the project. We work with trusted partners who respect confidentiality.

Legal Requirements

If the law says we gotta hand over info - court orders, government requests, that sort of thing - we will. But we'll let you know unless we're legally prevented from doing so.

Service Providers

Our web hosting company, email service, cloud storage - the behind-the-scenes tech that keeps us running. These providers have their own privacy policies and are bound by contracts to keep your data secure.

Business Transitions

In the unlikely event we sell the firm or merge with another company, your info would be part of that transfer. But you'd be notified and the new owners would still be bound by this privacy policy.

What we DON'T do: We don't sell your data to marketing lists, we don't share it with random third parties, and we don't use it for purposes you haven't agreed to.

Cookies and Tracking

Yeah, we use cookies - not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. These are small files that help our website remember you and work better.

What Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: These keep the site functioning. Can't really turn these off or the website breaks.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how people use the site. Which pages are popular, where folks get stuck, that kinda thing.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings so you don't have to keep selecting them every visit.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the site might not work as smoothly. Most browsers let you control what cookies you accept.

Data Security

We take security seriously - probably more seriously than we need to for an architecture firm, but hey, better safe than sorry.

Our website uses SSL encryption (that's the little padlock in your browser). Client files are stored on secure servers with regular backups. We've got password policies, limited access controls, and regular security updates.

That said, nothing's 100% secure online. We do our best, but if you're sending us super sensitive info, calling us or meeting in person might be better. We've got a nice office on Queen Street West if you wanna stop by.

If we ever experience a data breach that affects your info, we'll let you know promptly and tell you what steps to take.

Your Rights & Choices

Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA, if you wanna Google it), you've got rights when it comes to your personal info:

• Access: You can ask what info we have about you. We'll provide it in a readable format, usually within 30 days.
• Correction: If something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it.
• Deletion: Want us to delete your info? We can do that, unless we're legally required to keep it (like for tax records or completed project documentation).
• Opt-Out: Don't wanna receive marketing emails? There's an unsubscribe link in every message, or just tell us directly.
• Data Portability: You can ask for a copy of your info in a format you can use elsewhere.
• Withdraw Consent: Changed your mind about something you previously agreed to? That's totally fine - your consent, your choice.

To exercise any of these rights, just reach out to us using the contact info below. We might need to verify your identity first (can't just hand over someone's info to anyone who asks), but we'll make it as painless as possible.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We don't hoard info forever. Here's generally how long we keep stuff:

• Active Projects: For the duration of the project plus 7 years (that's the legal requirement for architectural records in Ontario).
• Consultation Inquiries: About 2 years, in case you come back to us later.
• Marketing Communications: Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
• Website Analytics: Usually aggregated and anonymized after 26 months.

After these periods, we securely delete or anonymize your data. Some info might be kept longer if required by law or for legitimate business purposes (like insurance claims or warranty issues).

Children's Privacy

Our services aren't directed at kids under 16. We don't knowingly collect info from children. If you're a parent and think your kid's given us their info, let us know and we'll delete it right away.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this policy occasionally - new laws, new services, better ways of doing things. When we make significant changes, we'll post a notice on our website and update the "Last Updated" date at the top.

For major changes that affect how we use your data, we'll try to notify you directly by email if we have your contact info.

It's worth checking back here once in a while, especially if you're a current client.