Terms of Service

These Terms of Service apply when you use the Subtle Estimates website, request information, upload project documents, order an estimate package, or use any related client portal or support channel.

Subtle Estimates provides residential building cost estimating and cost planning support through a dedicated team of estimators and cost engineers. These terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy and any package-specific scope, assumptions, exclusions, invoice, or written proposal supplied to you.

Our services may include order-of-magnitude estimates, elemental estimates, measured-item estimate packs, bill of materials schedules, labour schedules, programme-of-works support, budget checks, report updates, and related cost planning support.

The exact deliverable depends on the package selected, the information supplied, and the written scope accepted for your project.

Reports and schedules issued by Subtle Estimates are prepared for budget planning, feasibility review, finance discussion, scope comparison, and contractor-pricing support. They are not contractor quotations, offers to build, procurement awards, statutory approvals, or instructions to proceed with construction work.

A final project cost can change because of design development, site conditions, market movement, location, procurement method, contractor availability, specification changes, taxes, fees, professional inputs, and the quality of information available at the time of estimating.

You are responsible for supplying drawings, schedules, specifications, site information, location details, project stage information, and any other project information reasonably needed for the selected service.

If the information supplied is incomplete, preliminary, unclear, inconsistent, superseded, or later changed, our output may need revision. We may state assumptions, qualifications, exclusions, or information requests where the available documents do not support a more detailed output.

Reports may use cost estimating structures, market-rate assumptions, and measurement references appropriate to the package and information available.

Unless expressly included in the accepted scope, our outputs exclude design responsibility, construction supervision, contractor appointment, statutory approval, legal advice, tax advice, financing advice, structural review, architectural review, geotechnical review, health and safety appointment, and procurement management.

Package fees, custom fees, and payment timing will be shown on the website, checkout page, invoice, Paystack payment page, or written proposal. Fees are payable before work starts unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Online card and electronic payments are processed through Paystack. Subtle Estimates does not store your full card details. Paystack may process payment information under its own terms and privacy notices.

A payment instruction, payment link, or banking detail should be verified through an official Subtle Estimates support channel if anything appears unusual.

Because estimating work may start soon after payment or document upload, cancellation and refund requests are assessed according to work already performed, third-party costs already incurred, and whether a report or draft has already been prepared.

Minor corrections caused by a clear Subtle Estimates processing error will be handled without an additional fee. Revisions caused by new drawings, changed scope, changed finishes, changed location, changed quantities, or information not supplied at the start may require a new fee or revised package scope.

Turnaround times are estimates based on normal working conditions, package type, information quality, payment confirmation, document size, and current workload. We will try to communicate delays where they materially affect delivery.

A stated turnaround time does not include delays caused by missing information, inaccessible files, unclear drawings, failed payments, client response time, or technical interruptions outside our reasonable control.

If you receive client portal access, you are responsible for keeping login details secure and for notifying us if you suspect unauthorised access. We may suspend access where we reasonably believe an account, upload, payment, or request is unsafe, abusive, or unauthorised.

Portal outputs, file previews, project statuses, and support messages are provided for the relevant client and project only.

You confirm that you have the right to upload or share the drawings, specifications, photographs, schedules, and project documents supplied to us. You retain ownership of your project documents.

You give Subtle Estimates permission to use supplied documents for the purpose of responding to your enquiry, preparing the selected output, managing project records, quality checks, support, and lawful business administration.

Reports are prepared for the named client, project, and purpose stated in the report or order. They should not be reused for another project, resold, altered to remove assumptions, or presented as a contractor quote.

We treat project documents and client information as confidential business information. We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organisational safeguards to protect information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration.

No website, email, storage system, or internet transmission can be completely risk-free. Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive personal information and notify us promptly if you believe a document or account has been exposed.

You may not use the website, portal, payment flow, upload flow, or support channels to submit unlawful material, malicious files, false payment information, spam, abusive messages, or documents you are not authorised to share.

We may reject, pause, or remove requests that are unlawful, unsafe, abusive, technically harmful, outside scope, or inconsistent with these terms.

To the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, Subtle Estimates is not responsible for losses caused by inaccurate client information, incomplete project documents, later design changes, market changes, contractor decisions, third-party services, payment provider downtime, or use of an estimate outside its stated purpose.

Nothing in these terms excludes responsibility where it cannot legally be excluded. If a problem arises, our first step will usually be to review the file, explain the issue, and agree a practical correction path where appropriate.

Website content, sample reports, sample CSV files, pricing examples, and explanatory material are provided to show format, structure, and typical planning use. They are not project-specific advice and should not be used as a substitute for a project-specific estimate.

We may update packages, prices, sample documents, wording, and website content from time to time.

These terms are intended to operate under the laws of the Republic of South Africa. If a dispute arises, the parties should first try to resolve it through direct written communication before taking further steps.

Where a consumer law, privacy law, or other mandatory law gives you rights that cannot be removed by contract, those rights continue to apply.

Questions about these terms can be sent to estimates@subtleconsulting.co.za or through our official WhatsApp contact channel.

We may update these terms from time to time. The version displayed on this page applies from the last updated date below.