gold star story

Experience and Integrity

Gold Star Home Builders South Padre Island

Jay Freischlag joined Five Star Builders, the new home builder founded by his father, in 2004. He moved to South Texas from Illinois to help run the family business. In the process, he also set out to raise awareness of high-quality craftsmanship and energy efficiency that was lacking from many Rio Grande Valley new home builders.

Together with his father, Buddy, Jay was successful in becoming the first Energy Star Builder in the Rio Grande Valley. More awards would follow recognizing Jay and Buddy for their high-standards and dedication to quality.

Buddy suffered health complications in 2011 and was no longer able to continue working. Jay decided to continue where he and his father had left off and created a new company. Gold Star Construction was launched in honor of his father, Buddy, and the brand they had worked so hard to build.

Gold Star Construction carries on with the Star Quality began by Five Star Builders. Gold Star, as a new home builder, continues to showcase the qualities that were forged many years ago. High Standards, Energy Efficiency and Green Building are just a few of the tenets carried on.

Courses Completed

2004 – First Energy Star builder in the Rio Grande Valley
2006 – USGBC LEED for new construction & major renovations
2006 – Energy Star 2.0 thermal bypass workshop
2007 – HVAC systems and loads workshop
2009 – Reward wall systems ICF onsite training
2011 – Energy Star 2.5. Air Barriers & Air Sealing workshop
2012 – Energy Star 3.0 Quality Assurance Designs & Checklists
2013 – Navien gas tankless water heater workshop
2014 – Nudura ICF onsite training
2014 – NAHB – Business Management for Building Professionals
2014 – NAHB – Green building for professionals
2014 – NAHB – Design Build workshop

2014 – Tyvek Weatherization Certification
2016 – Huber – Subfloor: The hidden Asset, or Lurking Liability
2016 – NAHB – Advanced Green Building: Building Science
2016 – NAHB – Advanced Green Building: Project Management
2016 – Sub*Zero/Wolf – Luxury Kitchen Ventilation
2016 – Sub*Zero/Wolf – Luxury Outdoor Kitchens
2016 – Wyco: Advances in Concrete Consolidation
2017 – ICF Complete Solution for Disaster Resilience
2017 – ICF Mid Rise Buildings
2017 – Troubleshooting Masonry Part II: Leaky Walls