Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 24, 2026
Last Updated: July 24, 2026

Jim Patrick operates the Designing Your Dream Home website located at jamesdpatrick.com. This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected when you visit or interact with this website, how that information may be used, and the choices available to you.

In this policy, “I,” “me,” and “my” refer to Jim Patrick. “Website” refers to jamesdpatrick.com and its pages, articles, forms, downloads, and related resources.

By using this website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information This Website May Collect

The information collected depends on how you use the website.

Information You Provide Directly

You may voluntarily provide personal information when you:

• Subscribe to an email list or newsletter.

• Request a checklist, guide, download, or other resource.

• Submit a contact form.

• Respond to a survey or questionnaire.

• Send an email or other communication.

• Participate in a promotion, reader opportunity, or advance-reader program.

• Submit feedback, a correction, or a suggested article topic.

This information may include:

• Your name.

• Your email address.

• The content of your message.

• Your communication preferences.

• Information you choose to include in a form or email.

• The date and source of your submission.

Please do not submit confidential financial information, passwords, account numbers, medical information, government identification numbers, or other highly sensitive information through this website.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the website, certain information may be collected automatically by Squarespace and other service providers that help operate, secure, and analyze the website.

This information may include:

• Internet Protocol address.

• Browser type and version.

• Device type and operating system.

• General geographic region derived from an Internet Protocol address.

• Referring website or search engine.

• Pages viewed.

• Links clicked.

• Date and time of a visit.

• Approximate visit duration.

• Information about how you navigate and interact with the website.

• Cookie identifiers and similar technical information.

This information is generally used to understand website performance, maintain security, identify technical problems, and improve the reader experience.

2. How Information May Be Used

Information collected through the website may be used to:

• Operate and maintain the website.

• Respond to questions, comments, or contact requests.

• Deliver a requested checklist, guide, download, or other resource.

• Send newsletters, article announcements, educational messages, or other communications you requested.

• Manage email subscriptions and unsubscribe requests.

• Understand which pages, articles, and resources are most useful to readers.

• Improve website navigation, content, accessibility, and performance.

• Diagnose technical problems.

• Detect or prevent spam, abuse, fraud, or security threats.

• Maintain records of permissions and communications.

• Enforce the website’s Terms of Use.

• Comply with applicable legal obligations.

• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Personal information will not be used for materially different purposes without providing appropriate notice when required.

3. Squarespace

This website is hosted and operated through Squarespace.

Squarespace provides website hosting, security, content delivery, forms, analytics, and other services necessary to operate the website. In providing these services, Squarespace may process information about website visitors, including device information, browser information, Internet Protocol addresses, cookies, website activity, and information submitted through forms.

Squarespace’s collection and use of information are also governed by its own privacy policy, cookie policy, and terms.

4. Email Subscriptions and MailerLite

This website uses MailerLite to manage email subscriptions, forms, requested downloads, newsletters, and related communications.

When you subscribe, complete an email form, or request a resource, the information you provide may be transferred to and processed by MailerLite. This may include your name, email address, subscription source, sign-up date, email preferences, and information about how you interact with emails.

MailerLite may use tracking technologies within emails to report information such as whether an email was delivered, opened, or clicked. This information helps evaluate whether communications are useful and whether email systems are functioning properly.

You may unsubscribe from marketing or educational emails at any time by selecting the unsubscribe link included at the bottom of an email.

Unsubscribing will stop future subscription-based communications, but limited information may be retained when reasonably necessary to:

• Document an unsubscribe request.

• Prevent future messages from being sent unintentionally.

• Maintain legal or compliance records.

• Resolve a dispute.

• Protect the security and integrity of the email system.

MailerLite processes information according to its own privacy policy and terms.

5. Contact Forms

When you submit a contact form, the information you provide is used to review and respond to your message.

Form submissions may be stored or processed by Squarespace, MailerLite, an email provider, spam-prevention services, or other vendors necessary to deliver and manage the message.

Submitting a contact form does not create a designer-client, consultant-client, or other professional relationship.

Messages may be retained for a reasonable period when needed to respond, maintain business records, document communications, address legal concerns, or prevent abuse.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files or pieces of data stored on a visitor’s device. This website and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, or similar technologies.

These technologies may be used to:

• Keep the website functioning properly.

• Maintain security.

• remember visitor preferences.

• Understand website traffic and use.

• Measure page and article performance.

• Determine how visitors found the website.

• Improve website content and navigation.

• Prevent spam or fraudulent activity.

• Support embedded content or third-party features.

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies support essential website functions such as security, page delivery, form operation, network management, and visitor preferences. The website may not function correctly without them.

Analytics and Performance Cookies

Analytics and performance cookies help provide aggregated information about website traffic and visitor interactions. For example, they may help identify popular articles, commonly used devices, referring websites, and pages where visitors experience problems.

Squarespace Analytics may use cookies and related technologies for these purposes.

Additional analytics services, such as Google Analytics, may be used if enabled. These services may collect information about devices, browsing activity, general location, referring sources, and interactions with the website.

Marketing or Advertising Cookies

This website is primarily educational and does not intentionally sell visitors’ personal information.

If advertising, remarketing, social-media tracking, or targeted-advertising technology is added in the future, this policy and the website’s cookie disclosures should be updated to identify those technologies and provide any choices required by applicable law.

7. Managing Cookies

Depending on your location and the website settings available, you may be able to accept, reject, or manage nonessential cookies through a cookie banner or preference tool.

You may also control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• Review stored cookies.

• Block certain cookies.

• Delete existing cookies.

• Receive a warning before cookies are stored.

• Prevent cookies from particular websites.

Blocking cookies may affect how some website features, forms, videos, downloads, or embedded content function.

Browser-based “Do Not Track” signals are not interpreted consistently across the internet. This website may not respond to every Do Not Track signal unless required by applicable law or supported by the website’s service providers.

Where legally required and technically supported, recognized browser-based opt-out preference signals may be honored.

8. Website Analytics and Search Performance Tools

This website may use analytics and webmaster tools to understand search visibility and website performance.

These tools may include:

• Squarespace Analytics.

• Google Search Console.

• Bing Webmaster Tools.

• Google Analytics, if enabled.

• Similar website-performance or search-measurement services.

Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools may provide aggregated information about search queries, impressions, clicks, indexing, errors, and website performance.

Analytics providers may process technical information according to their own privacy policies and settings.

9. Embedded Content

Pages may contain embedded content from other platforms, such as:

• YouTube videos.

• Social-media posts.

• Podcast players.

• Forms.

• Maps.

• Book retailers.

• Document or media viewers.

Embedded content may function as though you visited the third-party provider directly. The provider may collect information, use cookies, track interactions, or associate activity with an existing account you have with that provider.

I do not control the privacy practices of third-party platforms. You should review their privacy policies before interacting with embedded features.

10. Links to Other Websites

Articles and pages may link to government agencies, universities, professional organizations, manufacturers, publishers, book retailers, social-media platforms, and other independent websites.

A link does not mean that I control or accept responsibility for another website’s privacy practices, security, accuracy, or content. Once you leave this website, the privacy policy of the destination website applies.

11. Book Purchases and Outside Retailers

Books or related products may be offered through independent retailers or platforms such as Amazon or other booksellers.

Purchases made through an outside retailer are completed on that retailer’s website. The retailer, payment processor, and fulfillment provider—not this website—generally collect and process payment information, shipping information, order details, and account information.

This website does not receive or store complete payment-card information for purchases completed through an outside retailer.

Review the retailer’s privacy policy and terms before completing a transaction.

12. Affiliate Links, Sponsorships, and Recommendations

Some pages may eventually contain affiliate links, sponsored references, or other compensated recommendations. When applicable, these relationships will be disclosed near the relevant content.

An affiliate or referral link may contain an identifier that lets a retailer know that a visitor arrived from this website. The retailer may use cookies or similar technologies to record that referral.

Affiliate programs and retailers process information under their own privacy policies.

13. How Information May Be Shared

Personal information may be shared with service providers only when reasonably necessary to operate the website or provide a requested service.

These providers may include:

• Squarespace.

• MailerLite.

• Website-hosting and content-delivery providers.

• Email providers.

• Analytics providers.

• Spam-detection and security providers.

• Information-technology service providers.

• Professional advisers when reasonably necessary.

• Government authorities or other parties when legally required.

Service providers may process information only as permitted by their agreements, policies, and applicable law.

Information may also be disclosed when reasonably believed necessary to:

• Comply with a law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or legal process.

• Respond to a lawful government request.

• Protect the rights, safety, property, or security of the website, its operator, its readers, or others.

• Investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents.

• Enforce website terms.

• Address an actual or threatened legal claim.

• Facilitate a legitimate transfer of the website or its assets.

14. Sale of Personal Information

I do not knowingly sell personal information to data brokers or other parties in exchange for money.

I also do not intentionally disclose personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising unless that practice is separately disclosed and appropriate privacy choices are provided where required.

Information may be shared with service providers that process information on behalf of the website, as described in this policy. Such service-provider processing is not intended to constitute a sale of personal information.

15. Data Retention

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

Retention periods may depend on:

• The reason the information was collected.

• Whether you remain subscribed to an email list.

• Whether a communication requires follow-up.

• Website security needs.

• Recordkeeping requirements.

• Legal obligations.

• The need to resolve disputes or enforce agreements.

• The settings and retention practices of service providers.

Contact messages may be retained while they remain useful for correspondence, recordkeeping, security, or legal purposes.

Email subscription information may be retained while you remain subscribed. Limited suppression information may be retained after you unsubscribe to help ensure that your request continues to be honored.

Aggregated or de-identified information may be retained for longer periods when it no longer reasonably identifies an individual.

16. Data Security

Reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures are used to protect information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, or destruction.

However, no website, electronic communication, storage system, or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You provide information through the website at your own risk.

Please do not use website forms or ordinary email to transmit highly sensitive information.

17. Your Privacy Choices

Depending on where you live and which laws apply, you may have the right to request:

• Confirmation of whether personal information is being processed.

• Access to certain personal information.

• Correction of inaccurate personal information.

• Deletion of certain personal information.

• A portable copy of certain information.

• Restriction of certain processing.

• Objection to certain processing.

• Withdrawal of consent.

• Opting out of certain targeted advertising, sales, or sharing.

• An appeal if a privacy request is denied.

These rights are not absolute. A request may be limited or denied when information must be retained for security, legal compliance, fraud prevention, recordkeeping, free-expression rights, legal claims, or another permitted purpose.

You may also:

• Unsubscribe from email communications through the link in each email.

• Adjust cookie preferences where a cookie tool is available.

• Block or remove cookies through your browser.

• Avoid submitting optional information.

• Contact me with a privacy-related question or request.

18. Submitting a Privacy Request

To submit a privacy request, use the Contact page on this website and clearly state that your message concerns a privacy request.

Please include:

• Your name.

• The email address connected with the request.

• The type of request you are making.

• Enough information to identify the relevant records.

Additional information may be requested when reasonably necessary to verify your identity and protect information from unauthorized disclosure.

Only information reasonably necessary for verification will be requested. Information submitted for verification will be used for that purpose and to maintain appropriate records of the request.

An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, but proof of authorization and identity verification may be required.

19. Email Communication Choices

You may unsubscribe from newsletters or promotional emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email.

After unsubscribing, you may still receive messages that are necessary to:

• Respond to a request you submitted.

• Confirm or complete an action you requested.

• Address security, legal, or administrative matters.

• Honor and document your unsubscribe preference.

20. Children’s Privacy

This website is intended for adults interested in home planning, design, construction, homeownership, and related educational topics. It is not directed to children under 13.

I do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 submitted personal information through this website, contact me so the situation can be reviewed and the information deleted when appropriate.

Parents and guardians should supervise children’s internet use and instruct them not to submit personal information without permission.

21. Visitors Outside the United States

This website is operated from the United States. Information may be processed or stored in the United States and in other countries where Squarespace, MailerLite, analytics providers, email providers, or other service providers operate.

Those countries may have privacy laws that differ from the laws in your location.

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing, information may be processed based on one or more of the following:

• Your consent.

• The need to provide a resource or response you requested.

• Legitimate interests in operating, securing, analyzing, and improving the website.

• Compliance with legal obligations.

• The establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

Where consent is the basis for processing, you may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.

22. Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be revised to reflect changes in:

• Website features.

• Forms or email services.

• Analytics or cookie practices.

• Third-party providers.

• Business operations.

• Legal or regulatory requirements.

The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.

Material changes may also be communicated through a website notice, email message, or other reasonable method when appropriate.

Continued use of the website after an updated policy is posted means the revised policy applies to future website activity, subject to applicable law.

23. Contact Information

Questions, concerns, or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be submitted through the Contact page on this website.

Please identify your message as a privacy-related inquiry.

Jim Patrick
Designing Your Dream Home
jamesdpatrick.com