Trenchless pipe lining at historic Phoenix Mill Events venue in Plymouth, MI — sewer rehabilitated from existing manholes with no excavation

✦ Commercial Project Case Study

Trenchless Pipe Repair Saves Historic Phoenix Mill Events Venue in Plymouth, MI

ContractorThompson Trenchless & Hydro Jetting

LocationPlymouth, Michigan

MethodPull-in-Place (PIP) Pipe Lining

Length Rehabilitated414 Linear Feet

414 ft

Sanitary Sewer Lined

Excavation Trenches

$75K+

Est. Restoration Avoided

50+

Year Liner Service Life

Project Overview

A Century-Old Venue, a Brand-New Exterior — and a Sewer Line That Had to Be Replaced

Phoenix Mill is a historic mill building on Edward N. Hines Drive in Plymouth, Michigan. Built in the early 1920s as one of Henry Ford's Village Industries plants, it was later held by Wayne County as part of Hines Park before being converted into Phoenix Mill Events — a venue for weddings, corporate events and special occasions.

Property management had just finished a major round of exterior improvements: new landscaping, new patios and a resurfaced parking lot. Then the county notified them that 414 linear feet of 4–6" sanitary sewer line, running manhole to manhole beneath those improvements, needed to be replaced.

A conventional dig-and-replace job would have meant cutting through nearly everything that had just been built. Thompson Trenchless & Hydro Jetting, based in Wyandotte, Michigan, rehabilitated the full run with pull-in-place (PIP) pipe lining instead, working only from the existing manholes and leaving every surface improvement untouched. Visit Thompson Trenchless's website ↗

Pipe Lining (CIPP) Pull-in-Place (PIP) Lining Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Manhole-to-Manhole Lining Plymouth, MI Wayne County Michigan Historic Property Event Venue Commercial

Project Specifications

Phoenix Mill Events — Project Details

Parameter	Detail
Property	Phoenix Mill Events — 15000 Edward N. Hines Drive, Plymouth, MI 48170
Property Type	Historic commercial event venue (weddings, corporate events, special occasions)
Contractor	Thompson Trenchless & Hydro Jetting — Wyandotte, MI
Trigger	County notice that the sanitary sewer line required replacement
Pipe	Sanitary sewer, 4–6" diameter, manhole to manhole
Length Rehabilitated	414 linear feet
Method	Pull-in-place (PIP) structural pipe lining — a cured-in-place (CIPP) installation
Access	Existing manholes only — no excavation
Surface Features Preserved	New landscaping, new patios, resurfaced parking lot
Estimated Savings	$75,000 – $125,000 vs. traditional dig-and-replace (estimate based on typical Plymouth-area construction costs)

The Challenge

What Phoenix Mill Events Was Facing

The timing couldn't have been worse. The sewer line ran directly beneath the venue's newest investments, and the county's notice left no room to defer the work.

1

A mandatory sewer replacement

The county informed property management that 414 linear feet of 4–6" sanitary sewer, running manhole to manhole, needed replacement.
2

Brand-new surface improvements in the way

The venue had just completed new landscaping, patio installations and parking lot resurfacing. Open-trench replacement would have required tearing much of that work back out.
3

An operating event business

Phoenix Mill hosts weddings and corporate events. An extended excavation schedule would have disrupted bookings and the guest experience on a historic property whose exterior is part of what clients pay for.

The Trenchless Solution

How Thompson Trenchless Lined 414 Feet Without Digging

Thompson Trenchless used pull-in-place (PIP) lining to rehabilitate the entire line from the inside. Instead of removing the old pipe, the crew installed a new structural liner within it — forming a new pipe inside the old one.

1

Work from existing manholes

All access was through the manholes already on the line, so no entry or exit pits had to be cut through the new patios, lawn or pavement.
2

Pull the liner into place

A resin-saturated structural liner was pulled into the existing host pipe between manholes, spanning the full 414-foot run.
3

Cure a new pipe inside the old one

Once cured, the liner forms a seamless, jointless pipe inside the original sewer — restoring structural integrity and flow without replacement.
4

Keep the venue running

With no trenches and no surface restoration, the project was completed with minimal disruption to venue operations.

Estimated Cost Savings

Traditional Excavation Costs Avoided

Based on typical construction costs in the Plymouth, Michigan area, the trenchless approach saved Phoenix Mill Events an estimated $75,000 to $125,000 compared to traditional dig-and-replace. The figures below are estimates of restoration and disruption costs that open-trench work would have added.

Cost Avoided	Estimated Range
Parking lot removal and replacement	$30,000 – $50,000
Patio demolition and reconstruction	$15,000 – $25,000
Landscaping restoration	$10,000 – $20,000
Additional excavation labor and equipment	$15,000 – $20,000
Business interruption and extended timeline	$5,000 – $10,000
Total estimated savings	$75,000 – $125,000

Results

What Trenchless Lining Delivered for Phoenix Mill Events

No Surface Disruption

All recently completed landscaping, patios and parking were preserved.

414 ft

Full Line Rehabilitated

The entire manhole-to-manhole run was lined — no partial fix or deferred repair.

Fast

Faster Completion

Minimal downtime for the event venue compared with an open-trench schedule.

$75K+

Cost-Effective

Eliminated an estimated $75,000–$125,000 in restoration and disruption costs.

50+

Long-Lasting Solution

Modern lining systems provide 50+ years of service life.

Less

Environmentally Friendly

Less excavated soil, less demolition debris and a reduced environmental impact.

Project Parties

About the Venue and the Contractor

Party	Profile
Phoenix Mill Events Property Owner	A historic event venue in Plymouth, Michigan, known for weddings, corporate events and special occasions. Preserving the property's exterior while solving a critical infrastructure problem shows how trenchless technology can protect both historic character and recent investment.
Thompson Trenchless & Hydro Jetting Contractor	A Wyandotte, Michigan contractor specializing in trenchless pipe repair and rehabilitation throughout southeast Michigan, helping property owners avoid the disruption and expense of traditional excavation.

FAQ

Phoenix Mill Sewer Lining — Common Questions

What is pull-in-place (PIP) pipe lining?+

Pull-in-place lining is a cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) method in which a resin-saturated liner is pulled into the existing pipe between access points and then cured, forming a new structural pipe inside the old one without excavation.

How much sewer line was rehabilitated at Phoenix Mill Events?+

Thompson Trenchless lined 414 linear feet of 4–6" sanitary sewer line, running manhole to manhole, at the Phoenix Mill Events venue in Plymouth, Michigan.

Did the project require digging up the parking lot or patios?+

No. The crew worked only from existing manhole access points, so the venue's newly completed landscaping, patios and resurfaced parking lot were left intact.

How much did trenchless lining save compared to excavation?+

Based on typical construction costs in the Plymouth area, the trenchless approach saved an estimated $75,000 to $125,000 in avoided parking lot, patio and landscaping restoration, extra excavation labor and business interruption.

How long does a sewer pipe liner last?+

Modern structural lining systems provide 50+ years of service life, making lining a long-term alternative to full dig-and-replace.

Is trenchless lining a good fit for historic properties?+

Often, yes. Because lining works from existing access points, it avoids disturbing grounds, hardscape and building surroundings — the features that give a historic property its character.

References & External Resources

Sources for This Project

The following sources were used in the preparation of this TrenchlessNet project profile.

Resource	Link
Thompson Trenchless & Hydro Jetting Contractor website	thompsontrenchless.com ↗
Phoenix Mill Events Venue website	phoenixmillevents.com ↗
Phoenix Mill — History Ford Village Industries mill, Plymouth, MI	en.wikipedia.org — Phoenix Mill ↗
Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce Phoenix Mill Events member listing	business.plymouthmich.org ↗

Trenchless Saves Phoenix Mill Events Venue in Plymouth