Copper Heights — honest tour notes for the Columbia plan

The Columbia is the move-in-ready plan most Copper Heights visitors walk first. Single-story, 1,561 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths, two-car garage, starting at $699,900. It's the plan that tells you whether Terrata's "everything is already included" philosophy works for how you actually live.

Tour notes, in order.

Front porch and elevation

The covered front porch is one of the small details that separates Terrata from straight-LGI. There's actual depth — not just a 24-inch overhang for code — so you can put a chair out there. If you're walking the model in the rain (which is most of the year), that overhang is the first thing you'll appreciate.

The exterior siding is fiber cement on most elevations, painted. Look at the trim color and material — that's where Terrata sometimes upgrades over the LGI base spec.

Entry and the dining room

The Columbia opens into a formal dining room on the left. This is a holdover layout from earlier-generation production plans. If you don't use a formal dining room (most buyers under 50 don't), think about how this 12-by-12-ish space gets used. It's a great office. It's a perfectly fine homework room. It is not a great spare bedroom — there's no closet.

The walkway from the entry to the family room is long enough to need an entry rug. Note the wall height — there's room for a couple of framed pieces if you want art there.

Kitchen

This is where the Columbia earns its money. Standard features in the kitchen at the published $699,900 base price include:

Black stainless KitchenAid appliance suite, including gas cooktop

Quartz countertops

Modern tile backsplash

48-inch upper cabinets with crown molding (this is taller than the broader Copper Heights community standard of 42-inch uppers — a Columbia-specific spec)

Breakfast bar overlooking the family room

That's a finish package that other production builders in Portland metro would consider an upgrade. The model home doesn't oversell it — the staging makes it look like an upgrade, but it isn't.

What is an upgrade in the model: the under-cabinet lighting, the pendant lights over the breakfast bar, and any hood vent that goes higher than the standard microwave-as-vent setup. Get the on-site agent to walk you through the upgrade list line by line and put the included-vs-upgraded answer in writing.

Family room

The family room has a gas fireplace, which is standard. Look at the firebox detailing — that's a place where Terrata's spec is solid and the LGI-base spec is not.

The ceiling fan is included. The orientation of the room (which wall holds the fireplace, which wall the TV mounts on) depends on lot orientation. On east-facing lots the natural-light side is one wall; on west-facing lots it's the opposite. Walk the lot before you commit.

Master suite

The master is on the back of the home, separated from the secondary bedrooms by the family room — a split-floorplan layout that's worth a lot for households where kids' bedtimes don't match parents' bedtimes.

Features:

Walk-in closet (medium-sized; not enormous)

Dual-sink vanity

Walk-in shower (no tub in the master — verify your preference; tub is in the hall bath)

Linen storage between the closet and the bathroom

Master suite buyers who want both a tub and a separate shower in the master should look at the larger Copper Heights plans, not the Columbia.

Secondary bedrooms

Two secondary bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet. That walk-in detail matters for resale. Most builders at this price point would put a reach-in closet in the secondary bedrooms; Terrata didn't. Open the closet doors and step in — if there's room for a hanging rod plus a dresser, you have flexibility for office or guest-room configurations.

The hall bath has a tub-shower combo and a single vanity. Standard for the size.

Laundry, garage, and the outdoor area

The laundry room is a real room, not a hallway closet. Side-by-side washer/dryer fits comfortably. There's room for a folding counter — verify the wall stub-out for the dryer hookup and confirm there's a 240V outlet for electric dryers if you don't want to use the gas hookup.

The garage is a true two-car garage with a side door to the yard. Most LGI-family garages have this side door; verify on your specific plan.

The covered outdoor living area off the family room is the second feature (after the kitchen) that earns the Columbia its price point. It's a real cover, deep enough for furniture, sized for a small table plus a couple of chairs. Position depends on lot orientation again — south-facing covered space is the most usable in Portland metro.

What to ask before signing

What's the lot premium on the specific lot you want? Columbia base price is the floor; the lot you want may carry $5,000–$25,000 in lot premium.

What's the current incentive package? Closing-cost credit, rate buydown, design-center credit — all change by week.

Is your specific Columbia move-in-ready or build-to-suit? Move-in-ready Columbias have limited selection options; build-to-suit Columbias offer more choices and longer timelines.

What's the timeline to close on a move-in-ready Columbia? Often 30 to 60 days. Confirm.

What's covered by Terrata's standard 1-2-10 warranty? Get the document, not the verbal explanation.

The verdict

The Columbia delivers a lot of finish content for its price point in Portland metro. The trade-off is the location (Milwaukie, not central) and the limited customization. For a buyer profile that values an included-features approach, a single-story plan, and a fast move-in, the Columbia is genuinely competitive on its merits — not just on rate-buydown math.