Privacy Policy

This policy explains what Yardstick collects, why, and what you can do about it. It is written to be read, not to be skipped.

Yardstick is a quoting tool for deck and fence contractors. If you are a homeowner who received an estimate made with Yardstick, see the section titled "If a contractor quoted you" near the end.

Who we are

Yardstick USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Questions, requests, or complaints: support@yardstickusa.com

What we collect

When you create an account. Your email address and a password. The password is stored only as a cryptographic hash, so nobody at Yardstick can read it or recover it for you.

Your business details. Business name, phone number, email address, license number, and a logo if you upload one. These appear on the estimates you produce, which is the reason we hold them.

Your rate book. The material, labor, and profit figures you enter, and any receipt totals you record to check a rate. This is commercially sensitive information and we treat it that way. See "How your pricing is protected" below.

Your jobs. For each job you create: the customer name and property address you enter, the measurements you take, the specifications you choose, the photographs you capture, any notes or markup you add to those photographs, and the resulting estimate total.

Photographs. Images you take or upload, stored in object storage and served only through short-lived links that expire.

Activity records. An audit log of significant actions on your account: signing in and out, password changes, jobs created and deleted, rate changes, and subscription changes. Kept for twelve months, then deleted.

Payment information. Handled entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your card number. We keep an identifier that links your account to your Stripe customer record, and your current subscription status.

If you join our mailing list. Your email address and the trade you selected.

Technical information. Your IP address when you sign in or request a password reset, used to limit repeated attempts. Server logs that record requests without their contents.

What we do not collect

We do not use advertising trackers, analytics pixels, or third party cookies. The only cookie Yardstick sets is the one that keeps you signed in.

We do not collect location data. The app never asks for your position.

We do not read your camera roll. You choose which photographs to add.

We do not sell your data. There is no circumstance in which we would.

Why we hold each thing

How your pricing is protected

Your rate book is a trade secret. A competitor knowing your margins is a real commercial harm, and the product would be worthless if it leaked.

Two independent walls keep your account separate from every other account. Every request runs scoped to your account in application code, and the database itself enforces row-level security so it will refuse another account's rows even if application code asks incorrectly. That second wall is verified against the live database, not assumed.

We do not aggregate, benchmark, analyse, or publish contractor pricing, and we will not begin doing so without asking you first.

Who we share with

We use a small number of service providers, each doing one job:

Each holds only what it needs. We share your information with nobody else, except where the law requires it, and we will tell you if that ever happens unless we are legally barred from doing so.

Where your data lives

In the United States.

How long we keep it

While your account is open, we keep your jobs, photographs, and rate book until you delete them.

When you cancel, your data stays available for ninety days so you can export it or change your mind. After that we delete it.

When you ask us to delete it, we do so within thirty days. Some records are kept longer where the law requires, such as invoices for tax purposes.

The audit log is kept for twelve months and then deleted automatically.

Mailing list addresses are kept until you unsubscribe.

What you can ask for

Whatever state you are in, you may ask us to:

• Show you everything we hold about you
• Correct anything that is wrong
• Delete your account and its contents
• Export your data in a usable format
• Stop sending you marketing email

Write to support@yardstickusa.com. We respond within thirty days and we do not charge for this.

You may also export your own data at any time without asking us. The Backup control in the app writes a file containing your jobs, photographs, and rate book.

If you are in California, the CCPA gives you these rights specifically, plus the right not to be treated differently for exercising them. We do not sell personal information and never have, so there is nothing for you to opt out of.

If a contractor quoted you

A contractor may have used Yardstick to prepare your estimate. If so, they entered your name, your property address, and possibly photographs of your property.

That contractor decides what happens to that information, not us. We hold it on their behalf. Contact them first.

If you cannot reach them, write to support@yardstickusa.com and we will help you get in touch or handle your request directly where the law requires it.

Security

Passwords are hashed. Sessions expire and their tokens are stored hashed, so a copy of our database would not let anyone sign in as you. Photographs are served only through links that expire in minutes. All traffic is encrypted in transit.

No system is perfect. If we ever discover a breach affecting your information, we will tell you promptly and tell you plainly what happened, in line with the notification laws of your state.

Children

Yardstick is a tool for working contractors and is not directed at anyone under eighteen. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that materially affects you, we will email you before it takes effect. The date at the top always reflects the current version.