Bottom Creek Resort

Bottom Creek Resort is a landmark multi-building hospitality and entertainment destination on a 461-acre property in Lapeer County. The project comprises three fully distinct buildings: a craft brewery with a two-story public tasting room, a full-service restaurant, and an open-air pavilion. The site is developed across approximately 10.85 acres, with the balance remaining natural landscape. Gleeson managed all three structures simultaneously, coordinating a complex interplay of structural systems, specialty MEP, commercial kitchen buildout, and high-end architectural finishes throughout.

This project is a strong example of Gleeson's capabilities in hospitality and entertainment construction. The design called for exposed timber framing, standing seam metal roofing, stone veneer, commercial brewing equipment integration, and restaurant-grade kitchen construction. Every building required hands-on GC coordination with specialty subcontractors and the owner's owner-furnished equipment program.

Building 1: Craft Brewery

Structure & Construction Type

The brewery is a two-story Type V-B wood frame structure set into a natural grade change, with the production floor at one level and the public tasting room entering at grade from the uphill side. This split-level condition required a concrete retaining and stem wall system to manage the transition between floors.

The structural system combines conventional dimensional framing with heavy engineering throughout. Steel wide-flange members and HSS columns carry second-floor loads over the production area, while the tasting room is framed in heavy timber: 8x10 and 8x14 timber beams spanning between exposed timber columns. A Chevron-braced steel frame provides lateral resistance at the production zone.

The second floor deck is a composite metal deck system with a 3" concrete topping slab. The roof over the tasting room uses prefabricated timber trusses with 2x6 T&G decking; prefabricated wood trusses span the production area roof. Snow load conditions, including drift and unbalanced loading, were specifically engineered for both truss types given the northern Michigan climate.

Production Floor

The ground-level production floor is a heavy-duty concrete slab-on-grade housing the full brewing operation. Gleeson coordinated directly with the owner and the brewing equipment supplier for tank placement, floor scoring, sloped cooler topping slab, concrete curbing, and an integrated trench drain system. Process piping from the boiler runs tight to the roof trusses above to preserve sight lines through the tasting room's curtain wall glazing.

Key production spaces include the fermentation tank area, barrel age room, mill room, lab, boiler room, and production cooler, all with commercial-grade finishes and food-service slab conditions.

Tasting Room & Bar

The second-floor tasting room is the public centerpiece of the brewery. Exposed timber trusses, painted SIP panel ceilings, painted steel columns, and large storefront glazing define the space. The bar features a waterfall concrete slab, granite countertops, a custom 42" perforated metal drink rail, and an outdoor deck with tiered retaining wall block step-downs and wood fence above.

Beer lines run from the ground-floor cooler up through a dedicated chase to the bar above, requiring precision coordination between plumbing, refrigeration, and bar millwork.

Exterior

The brewery exterior combines vertical wood siding (Watson IC and Taihara flat sawn grades), thin stone veneer in an ashlar pattern, perforated metal wall panels, and a standing seam metal roof. The brewhouse vent stack and boiler flue penetrate the roof on coordinated locations. A TPO flat roof covers the mechanical equipment zone above the restrooms and back-of-house.

Building 2: Full-Service Restaurant

Structure & Construction Type

The restaurant is a single-story, Type V-B wood frame building exceeding 8,000 SF in total program area. Its structural signature is the exposed timber and rafter beam ceiling in the main seating room, where bridge trusses span the volume and clerestory windows run along the ridge above. This combination of engineered timber, clerestory glazing, and sealed T&G wood ceiling is the defining architectural feature of the building.

Exterior walls are 6" wood stud with R-19 and R-30 insulation. The primary roof is a standing seam metal system over tapered framing, transitioning to a TPO flat roof over the back-of-house. Flashing, ridgeline, and valley detailing were critical given the complex roof geometry and the clerestory window integration.

Commercial Kitchen & BOH

The commercial kitchen is a full Type I installation at approximately 1,340 SF, with prep, dish, and storage rooms adjacent. Gleeson coordinated the below-slab sanitary rough-in, food-service epoxy slab coatings with integral cove base in the kitchen and prep zones, equipment hoods tied to the mechanical package, and walk-in cooler and freezer units on concrete curbing.

An on-grade emergency generator with underground gas piping feeds the building. An automatic sprinkler system per NFPA 13 covers the entire building, with concealed heads and owner-approved cover plates throughout the dining areas.

Dining Room & Bar

The 1,914 SF main seating room features chandeliers hung from the timber truss structure, LED accent lighting integrated into the bridge trusses, acoustical panels, and a wood panel ceiling finished in sealed T&G. A folding door system on the south wall opens the seating room to an exterior sunroom, requiring careful structural header coordination, slab threshold detailing, and specialty glazing procurement.

The bar includes a hammered copper tap wall, stone countertops, back bar with wood clad cube shelving, and a stone veneer fireplace with an antique mirror accent above. Finish materials throughout the restaurant are high-end: end-grain walnut plank flooring in the bar zone, London Fog glossy metal tile on specified walls, stone countertop finishes, and a full suite of custom millwork.

Exterior

The restaurant exterior mirrors the resort's design language: vertical board and batten wood siding with stone veneer base, standing seam metal roof with gabled forms, clerestory windows at the ridge, and a shading canopy at the main entry with heavy timber column accents. A stone veneer chimney rises above the fireplace on the west elevation.

Building 3: Outdoor Pavilion

The pavilion is an open-air post-and-beam timber structure providing a covered outdoor gathering space. Timber columns bear on concrete pier and column bases at each post location. Timber beams, timber bracing, and a standing seam metal roof on exposed timber rafter framing complete the structure. A wood-burning fireplace anchors one end wall, with a stone thin veneer chimney stack rising through the roof. The perimeter features low masonry walls and aluminum insulated fixed glass windows.

Site Work & Civil

Gleeson managed comprehensive site construction coordinated with BMJ Engineers & Surveyors. Scope included new access road construction off Old State Road, a gated entry with gatehouse, asphalt paving across service yard and parking areas, gravel storage yards, and full storm drainage with detention and retention basin systems. The site is served by new water and sanitary utility mains.

Underground electrical conduit runs throughout the developed property, serving each building and the cabin cluster area. A photocell-controlled site lighting system covers the full development. Grade management across the multi-building site, including tiered concrete retaining walls tying into both the brewery and restaurant building foundations, was a significant coordination effort between civil, structural, and architectural scope.

Key Construction Highlights

• Multi-building hospitality campus managed simultaneously, including a working craft brewery, full-service restaurant, and open-air pavilion
• Structural systems ranging from composite steel/concrete to heavy timber trusses and prefabricated wood roof systems
• Brewery production floor construction including food-service slabs, brewing equipment coordination, process piping, and commercial cooler installation
• Full commercial kitchen buildout with Type I hood, below-slab sanitary, walk-in cooler/freezer, and food-service epoxy floor system
• High-end interior finishes including exposed timber, custom millwork, stone veneer, hammered copper, folding glass door systems, and specialty tile
• Complex grade management and concrete retaining wall systems integrating site work with building foundations
• Standing seam metal roofing with clerestory windows, ridge flashing, and coordinated MEP roof penetrations across three buildings
• Full site utilities: new water, sanitary, storm drainage, underground electrical, site lighting, and gatehouse access control