Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 22, 2025

Effective Date: October 22, 2025

Introduction

Look, we get it - privacy policies can be a real snooze-fest. But here at Shadowcrest Architecture Studio, we're not about hiding stuff in legal jargon. We're architects, so we believe in transparency and building trust from the ground up.

This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal info when you work with us or visit our website. We've tried to keep it straightforward because, honestly, that's just how we roll.

What Information We Collect

Personal Contact Details

When you reach out to us or start a project, we'll collect the basics - your name, email, phone number, and mailing address. Pretty standard stuff that helps us actually communicate with you about your dream space.

Project Information

If you're working with us on a design, we'll gather details about your property, project requirements, budget ranges, and any specific preferences you've got. We need this to create something that actually fits your vision, not just pull designs out of thin air.

Website Usage Data

Like most websites these days, we collect technical stuff - IP addresses, browser types, pages you visit, and how long you stick around. It helps us understand what's working and what's not on our site.

Cookies and Tracking

Yeah, we use cookies - not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. These help remember your preferences and improve your experience when you come back to visit us.

How We Use Your Information

• Project Management: To design, plan, and execute your architectural projects. Can't really build your dream home without knowing what you want, right?
• Communication: Responding to inquiries, sending updates, sharing proposals, and keeping you in the loop about your project's progress.
• Legal Requirements: Meeting building codes, permit applications, and other regulatory stuff that comes with the territory.
• Service Improvement: Understanding how clients use our services so we can get better at what we do.
• Marketing (with permission): Sending newsletters, project showcases, or updates about our services - but only if you're cool with it.
• Portfolio Development: With your explicit consent, we might feature completed projects in our portfolio to show potential clients what we can do.

Who We Share Information With

We're not in the business of selling your data to random companies. That's just not our style. However, there are some situations where we need to share info:

Project Partners

Sometimes we work with contractors, engineers, consultants, and other professionals to bring your project to life. They'll only get the info they need to do their part.

Government Agencies

Building permits, zoning approvals, and regulatory compliance mean we've gotta share project details with local authorities. It's part of keeping everything above board.

Service Providers

Cloud storage, email services, accounting software - we use third-party tools that might process your data. We only work with providers who take security seriously.

Legal Obligations

If we're legally required to disclose information (court orders, legal proceedings, etc.), we'll comply. But we'll always try to notify you first unless we're prohibited from doing so.

How We Protect Your Information

We take data security pretty seriously - think of it like we're designing a secure vault rather than a glass house. Here's what we do:

• Encrypted connections (SSL/TLS) for all data transmission
• Secure servers with regular security updates and monitoring
• Limited access - only team members who need specific info can access it
• Regular backups stored securely
• Physical security measures at our office for hard copy documents
• Staff training on privacy and data protection best practices

That said, no system is 100% bulletproof. We do everything we can to protect your info, but we can't guarantee absolute security. If we ever experience a data breach that affects you, we'll let you know ASAP and work to fix it.

Your Rights and Choices

Under Canadian privacy laws (particularly PIPEDA), you've got some rights when it comes to your personal information:

To exercise any of these rights, just shoot us an email at info@shadowcrest.info or give us a call at (604) 555-2847. We'll get back to you within 30 days.

How Long We Keep Your Data

We don't hold onto your information forever - just as long as we need it for legitimate business or legal reasons:

• Active Projects: We keep all project-related info for the duration of the project and for 7 years after completion (that's the standard for architectural records in BC).
• Inquiries: If you reach out but don't proceed with a project, we'll keep your contact details for about 2 years in case you change your mind.
• Marketing Lists: As long as you're subscribed or until you ask us to remove you.
• Legal Requirements: Sometimes we're required to keep records for specific periods due to building codes, tax laws, or professional regulations.

Once the retention period's up, we'll securely delete or anonymize your information.

About Cookies

Our website uses cookies to make your experience better. Here's the breakdown:

Essential Cookies

These are the ones we really need to make the site work properly - think security, basic functionality, that kind of thing. You can't really turn these off without breaking stuff.

Analytics Cookies

Help us understand how visitors use our site - what pages they check out, where they're coming from, how long they stick around. We use this to improve the site.

Preference Cookies

Remember your settings and choices so you don't have to keep inputting the same info every time you visit.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Just know that blocking certain cookies might affect how well the site works for you.

Third-Party Links

Our website might have links to other sites - suppliers, partners, inspiration sources, whatever. Once you click through to those sites, you're playing by their rules, not ours. We don't control their privacy practices, so it's worth checking out their policies if you're concerned. We try to only link to reputable sites, but we can't be responsible for what happens once you leave our digital doorstep.

Children's Privacy

Our services aren't directed at kids under 18. We don't knowingly collect information from minors. If you're under 18 and interested in architecture, that's awesome - but get your parent or guardian to reach out to us instead. If we discover we've accidentally collected info from a minor, we'll delete it right away.

Changes to This Policy

Things change - technology evolves, laws get updated, our business grows. We might need to tweak this privacy policy from time to time to keep up. When we make significant changes, we'll post the updated version here and update the date at the top.

If the changes are major, we'll try to give you a heads-up through email or a notice on our website. It's worth checking back here occasionally to stay in the loop about how we're protecting your information.