Privacy Policy

Contact & Identity Stuff:

When you reach out or become a client, we'll collect basics like your name, email, phone number, mailing address, and company name if relevant. Pretty standard stuff you'd expect when working with any professional service.

Project-Related Information:

For actual projects, we need more detailed info - property details, site photos, existing architectural plans, budget ranges, timeline expectations, and your design preferences. Can't really design a building without knowing what you're working with, right?

Website & Technical Data:

Our website collects some technical info automatically - IP addresses, browser type, pages you visit, time spent on the site. We use this to understand how people use our site and fix things when they break. Nothing invasive, just basic analytics.

Payment & Financial Info:

For billing purposes, we'll need payment details. We don't store full credit card numbers on our systems - that goes through secure payment processors who specialize in keeping that stuff safe.

Let's be real about this - we use your info to do our jobs and keep the business running. Here's the breakdown:

• Project Delivery: Designing your spaces, getting permits, coordinating with contractors, keeping you updated on progress. The core stuff we promised to do.
• Communication: Responding to inquiries, sending project updates, discussing design changes, scheduling site visits. Basically staying in touch about work stuff.
• Legal & Contractual Obligations: Maintaining records for building codes, keeping contracts on file, handling insurance requirements, dealing with municipal approvals.
• Business Operations: Invoicing, processing payments, maintaining client files, internal record-keeping. The administrative side that keeps the lights on.
• Marketing (with your okay): Sending newsletters about our projects, showcasing completed work, sharing sustainability insights. You can opt out anytime - won't hurt our feelings.
• Website Improvements: Understanding what pages people actually look at, fixing broken links, making the site more useful. Pretty boring technical stuff, honestly.

We won't sell your data to third parties or use it for anything weird. If we want to use your project photos in our portfolio, we'll ask permission first.

Architecture isn't a solo sport - we work with other professionals to get projects done. Here's who might see your information:

Project Partners:

Engineers, contractors, surveyors, environmental consultants - the people who help us deliver your project. They only get what they need to do their part, and they're bound by their own professional obligations to keep things confidential.

Municipal Authorities:

Building departments, planning offices, heritage commissions - when we submit permit applications or get approvals, your project info goes to the relevant government agencies. That's just part of the legal process.

Service Providers:

Our web hosting company, email service, cloud storage, accounting software - the tech tools we use to run the business. We pick providers with solid security practices and make sure they're not doing anything sketchy with the data.

Legal Situations:

If we're legally required to disclose information (court orders, regulatory investigations, that sort of thing), we will. We'll let you know if we can, but sometimes the law prevents us from giving a heads-up.

We don't hoard information forever, but architecture has some long timelines and legal requirements:

Project Files:

We keep project documentation for 7 years after completion. That's what our professional liability insurance requires, plus it's good practice in case there are warranty issues or questions down the road. After that, we securely dispose of what we don't need.

Financial Records:

Tax laws require us to keep financial records for 7 years. Not our rule - that's the Canada Revenue Agency talking.

Marketing Communications:

If you're on our newsletter list, we keep your contact info until you unsubscribe. Simple as that.

Inquiry Information:

If you reached out but didn't move forward with a project, we'll typically keep that info for about 2 years in case you change your mind, then delete it.

We take reasonable precautions to protect your data. Here's what that looks like in practice:

• Our website uses SSL encryption (that's the little padlock in your browser)
• Client files are stored on secure, password-protected cloud servers with encryption
• Physical documents are kept in locked cabinets in our office
• Staff access to client information is limited to who actually needs it for their work
• We use strong passwords and two-factor authentication on our systems
• Regular backups ensure we don't lose your data if something goes wrong

That said, let's be honest - no system is 100% bulletproof. We do our best, but we can't guarantee absolute security. If there's ever a breach that affects your information, we'll let you know promptly and work to fix it.

It's your information, so you've got some say in how we handle it:

Access: You can ask to see what personal information we have about you. We'll provide it within 30 days, usually faster.

Corrections: If something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it. Simple stuff like address changes we can handle right away.

Deletion: Want us to delete your info? We can do that, with a couple exceptions - if we need it for legal reasons, ongoing projects, or contractual obligations, we gotta keep it. But if it's just marketing stuff, consider it gone.

Marketing Opt-Out: Don't want our newsletters? Click unsubscribe or shoot us an email. We'll take you off the list within a few days.

Data Portability: Need your information in a format you can take elsewhere? We'll provide it in a common format like PDF or CSV.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at studio@zephralithquinth.info or call (604) 492-7831. We'll need to verify your identity first (can't just hand over info to anyone who asks), but we'll make it as painless as possible.

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. Here's the deal:

Essential Cookies: These keep the website functioning - remembering your language preference, keeping you logged in if you're accessing a client portal, that sort of thing. Can't really turn these off without breaking the site.

Analytics Cookies: We use these to understand how people use our site - which pages get visited, where people get stuck, what device they're using. It helps us make the site better. We use Google Analytics with IP anonymization turned on.

Marketing Cookies: If you've visited our site and then see our ads elsewhere online, that's retargeting cookies at work. You can opt out through your browser settings or ad preferences.

Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. You can block them entirely if you want, though it might make some parts of the site wonky. Check your browser's help section for instructions.

Our website might link to other sites - supplier websites, building product manufacturers, industry associations, that kind of thing. Once you click through to those sites, their privacy policies apply, not ours.

We try to only link to reputable organizations, but we can't control what they do with your data. If you're concerned about privacy on those sites, check out their policies before sharing any information.

Same goes for social media - if you follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn, those platforms have their own data practices that we don't control.

We're based in Canada, and we try to keep data here whenever possible. But some of our service providers (like cloud hosting or email platforms) might store data on servers in other countries, including the US.

When we use international services, we make sure they have adequate data protection measures in place. But heads up - if your data ends up in another country, it's subject to that country's laws, which might be different from Canadian privacy protections.

If you're uncomfortable with potential international storage, let us know and we'll see what alternatives we can work out for your project.

Our services aren't directed at kids under 16, and we don't knowingly collect information from children. If you're under 16, please don't send us your personal information without a parent or guardian involved.

If we somehow end up with a child's information without parental consent, let us know and we'll delete it promptly.

Privacy laws evolve, our business changes, technology advances - so this policy might get updated from time to time. When we make significant changes, we'll post the new version here and update the "Last Updated" date at the top.

For major changes that affect how we use your data, we'll try to notify active clients directly via email. But it's worth checking back here occasionally, especially if it's been a while.

Continued use of our services after changes means you're cool with the updated policy. If you're not okay with changes, reach out and we'll discuss your options.

Got questions about this privacy policy or how we're handling your information? Worried about something? Think we screwed up? Please reach out - we'd rather fix issues than have you stewing over them.

We'll respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days, usually much faster. If you're not satisfied with our response, you've got the right to file a complaint with the Office