Privacy Policy

We're pretty straightforward about this. Your info helps us:

• Respond to your inquiries: Can't help you if we can't reach you, right?
• Develop project proposals: Understanding your needs means we can create designs that actually work for you
• Keep you updated: Progress reports, design options, those "hey, can you take a look at this detail?" moments
• Handle contracts and billing: The less fun but necessary parts of any project
• Improve our services: Learning what works and what doesn't helps us get better at what we do
• Stay compliant: Building codes, heritage regulations, environmental assessments - there's paperwork involved in architecture

We won't sell your info to anyone. That's not how we operate, and frankly, we wouldn't want someone doing that with our information either.

Sometimes we need to share info to get the job done properly:

• Contractors and consultants: Structural engineers, environmental specialists, heritage consultants - the folks we work with to make projects happen. They only get what's relevant to their part of the work
• Municipal authorities: Building permits aren't optional. Sometimes we need to submit your project info to city planners, heritage commissions, or environmental review boards
• Professional services: Our accountant, lawyer, insurance provider - the people who help keep the business running smoothly
• Service providers: Email hosting, cloud storage, project management platforms. We pick services that take privacy seriously

Everyone we work with is bound by confidentiality agreements. And if the law requires us to disclose something (like a court order), we'll do what's legally necessary - but that's pretty rare in our line of work.

Marketing companies? Social media advertisers? Data brokers? Nope, nope, and nope. Not our thing.

We take security seriously, even if we're not a massive corporation. Here's what we do:

• Encrypted connections for data transmission (you'll see that little padlock in your browser)
• Secure cloud storage with reputable providers based in Canada
• Password protection and limited access - only people who need info for your project can see it
• Regular backups so nothing gets lost if tech fails us
• Physical security at our studio - locked doors, secure filing for any paper documents

No system is 100% hack-proof, but we do everything reasonable to keep your information safe. If something ever did happen, we'd let you know right away.

Our website uses cookies - those little text files that help websites remember you. Here's the deal:

• Essential cookies: Make the site actually work - things like remembering you filled out a contact form so you don't lose your info if you navigate away
• Analytics cookies: Help us see which pages people visit, how long they stay, where they came from. It's anonymized data that helps us make the site better

We don't use advertising cookies or tracking pixels from social media. Your browser settings can block cookies if you want, though some parts of the site might not work as smoothly.

Honestly, we're more interested in creating good architecture than tracking your every move online.

Your information belongs to you. Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA), you've got rights:

• Access: Want to see what info we have about you? Just ask
• Correction: If something's wrong or outdated, we'll fix it
• Withdrawal: Changed your mind about a project? You can ask us to stop using your info (though we might need to keep some records for legal/accounting purposes)
• Deletion: Once a project's done and we've met our legal retention requirements, we can delete your info if you want
• Portability: Need your project files for another architect? We'll give you what we can in a usable format

To exercise any of these rights, just email us at studio@emberwatchhollow.info or give us a call. We'll respond within 30 days, usually much sooner.

We don't hoard information forever. Here's our general approach:

• Initial inquiries: If you reach out but we don't move forward with a project, we'll keep your info for about a year in case you circle back. After that, it's deleted unless you ask us to keep it longer
• Active projects: Everything related to current work is kept until the project's complete and signed off
• Completed projects: We're required to keep architectural records for 7 years after project completion (professional liability requirements). Some heritage projects might need longer retention due to historical documentation requirements
• Financial records: Tax law requires us to keep invoices and contracts for 7 years
• Portfolio images: If we photograph completed work for our portfolio, we'll always get your permission first. You can withdraw that permission anytime

Once the retention period's up and there's no legal reason to keep something, we securely delete it.

Sometimes we link to other websites - manufacturers, building product info, sustainability resources, that sort of thing. Once you click away from our site, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore. Those sites have their own privacy practices, which we don't control.

We try to link to reputable sources, but it's worth checking their privacy policies too if you're concerned about how your data's handled.

Our services are aimed at adults dealing with property and building projects. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you're a parent and think your kid has somehow sent us information, let us know and we'll delete it right away.

We might update this policy occasionally - maybe privacy laws change, or we add new services, or we find a better way to explain something. When we do make changes, we'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top.

If it's a significant change that affects how we handle your information, we'll let active clients know directly via email.

We'd recommend checking back here now and then if you're curious, though we're not planning any dramatic changes. This is pretty much how we've always operated - we're just writing it down clearly.

We're based in Vancouver and work primarily in British Columbia. Most of our data stays in Canada, though some of our cloud service providers might have servers in the US.

If you're outside Canada and contact us about a project, your information will be processed according to Canadian privacy laws, which are pretty solid. We'll let you know upfront if there are any cross-border implications for your specific project.