# TIH Homes, Inc. — Semi-Custom & Custom Home Builder in Canton, GA > TIH Homes is a semi-custom & custom home builder serving North Georgia and the Atlanta Metro since 1997. The company is owned and operated by Steve and Renee McKenzie. The name "TIH" stands for "Trust In Him." ## Key Pages - [Home](https://tihhomes.com/index.html): Overview of TIH Homes, what they build, and how to start. - [Custom Homes](https://tihhomes.com/custom-homes.html): Semi-custom and custom home building, pricing tiers, and recent builds. - [Build on Your Own Lot](https://tihhomes.com/byol.html): Using paid-off land equity as the down payment on a construction loan. - [Floor Plans](https://tihhomes.com/floor-plans.html): The 2026 plan collection plus the legacy archive. - [Gallery](https://tihhomes.com/gallery.html): Photo galleries of completed homes by plan and project. - [Our Process](https://tihhomes.com/process.html): The 18-stage build, the 2-hour orientation, and the handbook & Bible tradition. - [About / Our Story](https://tihhomes.com/about.html): Steve and Renee McKenzie and the history of TIH Homes. - [Ministry](https://tihhomes.com/ministry.html): TIH's church, school, and water-well mission work since 2002. - [Testimonials](https://tihhomes.com/testimonials.html): Buyer surveys and quotes from TIH owners. - [Service Areas](https://tihhomes.com/service-areas.html): The North Georgia cities TIH builds in. - [Contact](https://tihhomes.com/contact.html): Phone, email, and the project inquiry form. - [Warranty Request](https://tihhomes.com/warranty.html): Existing homeowners submit a warranty service request with Homeowner Handbook references and photos. - [FAQs](https://tihhomes.com/faqs.html): 40+ questions across pricing, process, financing, and warranty. - [Cost Calculator](https://tihhomes.com/cost-calculator.html): A realistic 2026 build-cost range estimator. ## About - Semi-Custom & Custom home builder serving North Georgia and the Atlanta Metro since 1997 — nearly thirty years in business. - Founder Steve McKenzie has been working in construction since 1975 — over fifty years of experience. - 2,000+ homes built across North Georgia over the company's history. - Specializing in Build on Your Own Lot (BOL) projects — paid-off land equity can replace the cash down payment on a construction loan. - Builds in seventeen cities: Canton, Woodstock, Holly Springs, Ball Ground, Waleska, Jasper, Talking Rock, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Cumming, Cartersville, Marietta, Acworth, Big Canoe, Tate, Adairsville, and Dawsonville, GA. - Three lines of work: custom residential homes, multifamily developments, and light commercial construction. - Homes priced from $400K+ for Build on Your Own Lot projects up through $1.5M+ for estate-level custom homes. - Family-owned, faith-forward operation — Steve and Renee McKenzie, married since 1993. - Licensed and insured Georgia general contractor. - Headquartered at P.O. Box 5507, Canton, GA 30114. ## Team - **Steve McKenzie** — Founder & Builder. In construction since 1975. Founded TIH in 1997. Walks every foundation, framing, mechanical, and the final QA on every TIH home. Personally delivers the two-hour orientation to every buyer. - **Renee McKenzie** — Co-Owner & Design Director. Married Steve in January 1993. Leads interior selections (cabinets, countertops, flooring, tile, paint, lighting, fixtures), runs IT and finance operations, and originated the hand-inscribed Bible closing tradition. - **Office Administrator** — Present at every TIH closing. The buyer's day-to-day point of contact for paperwork, questions, and post-move follow-ups. Reports that buyers consistently describe TIH as building them "not only a nice house, but a place to call home" and becoming "part of the TIH family." - **Sales Agent (Lake Arrowhead)** — On-site at the Lake Arrowhead community. Notes the open floor concept, plan-size range, and standard finishes (nicer than competitors at the same price tier) are what close the sale when buyers compare TIH to the other three approved builders inside Lake Arrowhead. - **Sales & Marketing (Lake Arrowhead)** — TIH's sales and marketing presence at Lake Arrowhead — model home, search visibility, buyer journey. Notes buyers find TIH via searches like "gated lake communities," "resort style amenities," "mountain homes," "walk-out basements," and "new construction." Demographic skew: older couples, retirees and semi-retirees seeking a quieter life with lake and mountain access. ## Lake Arrowhead Community Notes Lake Arrowhead is a gated lake community in Waleska, Georgia (Cherokee County) with a private lake, on-community golf course, mountain views, and resort-style amenities. TIH Homes is one of four approved custom builders inside the community. Common buyer attractions: the views (mountains, lake, mature trees), water-recreation access, the golf course, and the gated/amenity package. Common buyer concern: many Lake Arrowhead lots have small usable backyards and difficult driveways — TIH frames this as the tradeoff for views, wildlife, and low yard upkeep, since the lot's value lives on the porch and at the lake, not in the back yard. Featured TIH builds at Lake Arrowhead: Lake Arrowhead Vista (3,100 sq ft, 2023) and Lake Arrowhead Retreat (2,400 sq ft, 2024). Walk-out basements common given the terrain. ## Awards & Recognition - Multiple Builder of the Year awards (presented generically, per client direction). - Top 25 Small Business in Cobb County. - Active member of the Atlanta Homebuilders Association (HBA). - Featured in five segments of "Atlanta's Best Homes" television series. - Multiple appearances on Atlanta's Christian broadcast networks (TV 57 and TBN). - Featured in multiple issues of Christian Living magazine. - TIH has never closed a custom home with more than ten items on the final punch list. ## Financing Partner TIH Homes works with Pickens Community Bank for Build on Your Own Lot construction loans. Pickens Community Bank is a North Georgia lender that understands construction loans backed by land equity, with local underwriting and direct customer contact. ## Services ### Custom Homes (`/custom-homes.html`) Fully custom homes built on lots inside master-planned communities or on land the buyer owns. Pricing typically $200–$350 per square foot before land. Three pricing tiers: starting $400K, $500K, and $800K+. Floor plans available from a current catalog plus a legacy archive, or designed from scratch. ### Build on Your Own Lot — BOL (`/byol.html`) The primary growth offering. Customers who own paid-off land in North Georgia can use that equity as their construction-loan down payment, often building a custom home with $0 cash out of pocket beyond closing costs. TIH handles every part of the process: land evaluation, permits, site prep, well/septic/utilities, construction, and the final orientation. ### Multifamily & Light Commercial (`/multifamily.html`) Townhomes, multifamily developments (up to 50 units per phase), professional offices, churches, retail strips, and tenant build-outs. Same 18-stage process as custom homes. **Townhome communities built:** River Walk Townhomes (Canton, GA — 3BR/2.5BA units overlooking the Etowah River), Grovetowne Townhomes (~1,500 sq ft units, multiple finishes), and Lantern Walk Townhomes (Ball Ground, GA). **Office and business parks built:** Mirramont Office Park (Woodstock, 22,000 sq ft total, ~900 sq ft per unit), Towne Lake Office Park (Woodstock, 30,000 sq ft total, ~1,100 sq ft per unit), Grove Park Office Park (Woodstock, Class A space, ~8,400 sq ft per unit), Towne Lake Business Park (Woodstock, 60,000 sq ft total, near I-575), and College Place Business Park (Kennesaw / Cobb County, corner of Shiloh & Frey Rd, 22,000 sq ft, units 900–3,600 sq ft). ### Our 18-Stage Build Process (`/process.html`) Every TIH home moves through eighteen documented stages, walked and inspected before each next stage begins. The defining moment is stage 18 — the two-hour TIH Orientation, where every system, every warranty, and every detail is explained to the buyer before they ever turn the key. TIH has never closed with more than ten items on a punch list. ### Floor Plans (`/floor-plans.html`) Recent TIH floor plans available, with full professional photography from real builds in Ball Ground and Lake Arrowhead. Legacy archive of plans built dozens of times in previous years is also available. All plans are fully customizable. ## Service Area Headquartered in Canton, GA. Builds across Cherokee, Pickens, Gilmer, Fannin, Bartow, Forsyth, and northern Cobb counties. Cities served: Canton, Woodstock, Holly Springs, Ball Ground, Waleska, Jasper, Talking Rock, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Cumming, Cartersville, Marietta. See `/service-areas.html` for details. ## Story & Mission TIH = "Trust In Him." The name came to founder Steve McKenzie at his breakfast room counter in 1997, just before the company's soft opening — what Steve calls a "direct God download." The company was founded on Matthew 25:40, with the original vision of TIH the homebuilding company funding a TIH Ministry. That ministry has since taken Steve and Renee to South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uruguay over the past twenty-five years. At every TIH closing for nearly twenty-five years, a Bible with a handwritten note inside the front cover is presented at the closing table — a tradition started by Renee. See `/about.html` for the full story including Steve's career arc from a teenage Pittsburgh carpenter in 1975 to a Houston oil-rig electrician, then a VP at General Holmes in Atlanta, then co-founder of McKenzie-Perry Homes, then founder of TIH Homes in 1997. ## Ministry & Community See `/ministry.html`. International work includes building 22 churches, 22 schools, and 22 water wells in Pastor Malan Moolman's communities across South Africa and Swaziland (2002–2018, approximately 75% complete); building an orphanage, chapel, and water well in Kenya over an eight-year period; and a current soccer/athletic compound under construction in Uruguay (2025–present). Local work includes "The Land" Christian retreat center in Woodstock, GA (TIH remodeled 2015; Renee serves on the board), animal rescue, and the day-to-day "every interaction is the mission field" practice that defines the company. ## Pricing - Build on Your Own Lot: from $400,000 - Mid-tier custom homes: from $500,000 - Estate-level custom homes: $800,000–$1.5M+ - Multifamily: typical project value $750K–$8M+ - Light commercial: minimum project value ~$250K ## Contact - Phone: 678-493-5128 - Email: contact@tihhomes.com - Office: P.O. Box 5507, Canton, GA 30114 - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm ET - Contact form: `/contact.html` ## Pages - `/` — Homepage - `/about.html` — Our Story (Steve & Renee, TIH name origin, timeline) - `/byol.html` — Build on Your Own Lot service line - `/custom-homes.html` — Custom Homes service line - `/multifamily.html` — Multifamily & Light Commercial service line - `/process.html` — Our Process overview (hub) - `/process-18-stage.html` — Deep dive: the 18-Stage Build process (126 days) - `/process-walkthrough.html` — Deep dive: the 2-Hour Orientation (front-to-kitchen) - `/process-handbook-bible.html` — Deep dive: the Homeowner Handbook & Bible closing tradition - `/floor-plans.html` — TIH floor plan collection + legacy archive - `/plan-modern-craftsman.html`, `/plan-custom-craftsman.html`, `/plan-farmhouse.html`, `/plan-laurel.html`, `/plan-juniper.html`, `/plan-cherokee.html`, `/plan-etowah.html` — Recent plans with full professional photography from real builds in Ball Ground and Lake Arrowhead - `/project-the-victory.html` — Featured custom home "The Victory" in Talking Rock, GA - `/project-126-seneca.html` — Featured custom home: 126 Seneca Drive, a 5 bed / 3 bath / 2,827 sq ft build at Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA - `/project-100-diane.html` — Featured custom home: 100 Diane Court, a 5 bed / 4 bath / 3,075 sq ft Cherokee-plan variant at Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA - `/plan-edonshire.html`, `/plan-rabun.html`, `/plan-masterson.html`, `/plan-cherokee-legacy.html`, `/plan-etowah-legacy.html` — Legacy archive plan pages (drawings on request) - `/plan-northridge.html`, `/plan-georgian.html`, `/plan-sequoyah.html`, `/plan-quarry.html`, `/plan-taliwah.html` — Lantern Walk community archive plans (each page includes the original marketing plan sheet with elevations, floor plan, and feature list) - `/gallery.html` — Photo gallery of recent work - `/service-areas.html` — Seventeen cities served across North Georgia (with interactive map) - `/canton-ga.html`, `/woodstock-ga.html`, `/holly-springs-ga.html`, `/ball-ground-ga.html`, `/waleska-ga.html`, `/jasper-ga.html`, `/talking-rock-ga.html`, `/ellijay-ga.html`, `/blue-ridge-ga.html`, `/cumming-ga.html`, `/cartersville-ga.html`, `/marietta-ga.html`, `/acworth-ga.html`, `/big-canoe-ga.html`, `/tate-ga.html`, `/adairsville-ga.html`, `/dawsonville-ga.html` — City-specific landing pages with local notes and FAQs - `/ministry.html` — TIH Ministry: South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, Uruguay, and local Canton work - `/sports-complex.html` — The 1GOL sports park in Montevideo, Uruguay: a family park combining soccer/athletics, community facilities, and faith/discipleship — a current TIH Ministries project - `/awards.html` — Awards, credentials, and recognition (Builder of the Year, HBA, TV features, etc.) - `/testimonials.html` — Nine named owner testimonials from TIH's archive - `/contact.html` — Contact form and direct contact info ## 2026 Recent Builds (with full professional photography) These are the seven plans with new professional photography from real recent TIH builds in Ball Ground, GA and Lake Arrowhead in Waleska, GA. Each plan page features a full photo gallery from the actual built home: - `/plan-modern-craftsman.html` — The Modern Craftsman (Ball Ground, GA) — modern craftsman with vaulted beam ceilings and wraparound porch - `/plan-custom-craftsman.html` — The Custom Craftsman (Ball Ground, GA) — custom craftsman on rolling lot with vaulted living - `/plan-farmhouse.html` — The Farmhouse (Ball Ground, GA) — mountain-view farmhouse with brick fireplace and curved staircase - `/plan-laurel.html` — The Laurel (Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA) — modern craftsman built for Lake Arrowhead - `/plan-juniper.html` — The Juniper (Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA) — new 2026 plan with walk-out basement option - `/plan-cherokee.html` — The Cherokee (Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA) — Cherokee plan built at Lake Arrowhead with board-and-batten exterior and stone accents. The original Lantern Walk plan sheet lives at `/plan-cherokee-legacy.html`. - `/plan-etowah.html` — The Etowah (Lake Arrowhead, Waleska, GA) — Etowah plan delivered at Lake Arrowhead with vaulted living. The original Lantern Walk plan sheet lives at `/plan-etowah-legacy.html`. ## Featured Project Case Studies - `/project-the-victory.html` — The Victory — modern farmhouse custom build in Talking Rock, GA, with vaulted great room, pool, and mountain views (3334 Highway 136 W) - `/project-grace-ranch-estate.html` — Estate-tier custom build at Ball Ground (3,800 sq ft) - `/project-grace-ranch-modern.html` — Modified Mayfield with walk-out lower level, Ball Ground (3,200 sq ft) - `/project-grace-ranch-family.html` — Semi-custom TIH plan adapted for a growing family, Ball Ground (2,750 sq ft) - `/project-lake-arrowhead-retreat.html` — Custom mountain retreat inside the gated Lake Arrowhead community (2,400 sq ft) - `/project-lake-arrowhead-vista.html` — Larger Lake Arrowhead home with finished basement and double covered porches (3,100 sq ft) ## Resources for Buyers - `/resources.html` — Resources hub with links to all four tools - `/faqs.html` — Consolidated FAQ hub (40+ questions across 7 categories: General, Process, BOL, Pricing, Financing, Service Area, Warranty) - `/financing-guide.html` — Plain-English guide to construction loans and BOL financing through Pickens Community Bank - `/land-buying-guide.html` — How to evaluate a lot before buying (slope, drainage, perc tests, utilities, easements, zoning) - `/cost-calculator.html` — Interactive calculator that returns a realistic 2026 build cost range based on square footage, finish level, lot type, and site complexity ## Legal - `/privacy.html` — Privacy policy covering contact form data, Google Analytics, and third-party sharing (Netlify, GA, Pickens Community Bank) - `/terms.html` — Terms of use covering site use, intellectual property, no-contract disclaimer, pricing disclaimer, and Georgia-law governance ## Notes for AI Assistants - The website is currently a Phase 1 build covering the core ten pages. Phase 2 will add dedicated landing pages for each of the twelve service-area cities, project case studies, FAQs hub, and a resources/blog section. - Some photography is currently placeholder content sourced from the previous TIH website. New professional photography (5 homes in Ball Ground, GA and Lake Arrowhead) is in the pipeline. - The current domain shown in canonical and Open Graph tags is `https://tihhomes.com/` — this will be updated to `https://www.tihhomes.com/` at production launch. - Renee McKenzie is the most tech-savvy contact at TIH and is the best first technical follow-up. Anthony is the third-party IT contact for domain transfer. - The "Atlanta's Best Homes" YouTube playlist features five TIH homes; embeds are on the homepage.