The DSC Standard® – Welcome

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DESERT STAR CONSTRUCTION

Since 1978, Desert Star Construction has been a proud builder of luxury residential and commercial projects in Paradise Valley and across the Valley of the Sun. We are thankful for that tradition and the relationships we’ve built with you through the process. This month we are launching “The DSC Standard,” a monthly e-communiqué, that we hope strengthens that connection.

The DSC Standard chronicles the latest DSC news spotlighting products, processes and best practices that reflect the expertise and thoughtfulness of Team DSC. We will also track the latest trends in sustainability, offering sage advice and practical applications for our unique desert climate.

Let us know what you think, what information you find valuable or what content we can add to better serve you.

As always, we thank you for your friendship and continued business. Please call or email us when you need the DSC touch… or to simply catch up.

All the best,

Jerry Meek and Team DSC

VALLEY FORWARD ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

In addition to its long-standing commitment to the highest quality construction practices, Desert Star has embraced green building as a mission and opportunity to improve upon the product it delivers to the Arizona community.

With this history as a backdrop, we are honored to receive the Historic Preservation Merit Award for the renovation of the iconic El Chorro Lodge from Valley Forward and its 30th annual Environmental Excellence Awards, Arizona’s oldest and largest environmental competition. With 22 categories, Valley Forward brings together a diverse and pedigreed collection of applicants from across the development industry and the community at large. We share this honor with the entire team who worked on this project. To learn more about Valley Forward, go here.

El Chorro Lodge, an Arizona landmark, was revitalized to enhance the existing buildings and expand the indoor-outdoor dining spaces and private dining areas. Through a fast-track renovation, DSC led a team in retaining the classic ambiance and charm of this legacy property while providing enhancements and upgrades that exceed modern energy and operational standards.

We invite you to visit El Chorro soon to enjoy a great meal and experience our results in action.

LEED CERTIFICATION

The renovation of El Chorro illustrates that even the oldest of properties can improve sustainability while drastically reducing their environmental footprint. The project is seeking LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Some of our proud improvements and interesting statistics about this project include:

  • Construction time from the first building permit to the grand opening was less than five (5) months. The work encompassed multiple buildings, more than 28,000 sq. ft., 27 building permits and 11 acres of restored desert landscaping and a new natural parking lot.
  • Maintaining the original building footprint and incorporating existing adobe walls.
  • Salvaging all roof tiles and beams from the old lodge and reuse in the new construction.
  • Installing 840 pairs of recycled blue jeans for the exterior wall insulation.
  • Diverting more than 75 percent of construction waste from landfills.
  • Installing a 142 kW solar-panel-covered carports offsetting more than half of El Chorro’s total annual energy usage. This delivers an energy savings equivalent to 485 average size homes annually or more than 5.3 million 100-watt light bulbs.
  • Adding two closed-loop, solar-thermal water heating systems.
  • Using high-efficiency lighting fixtures, LED bulbs, occupant lighting controls and programmable systems to reduce usage.
  • Total energy savings are equivalent to any of the following: annual greenhouse gas emissions from 41 passenger vehicles; CO2 emissions from 24,128 gallons of gasoline consumed; or from 499 barrels of oil saved annually.
  • The LEED Certification achieves a better experience for the staff and customers and improves the building efficiencies.