When people are thinking about new construction in Middle Tennessee, there are usually three major factors on their mind: the location, the amenities and finishes of the home, and the price.
Today, I’m going to show you the model home at Bear Springs by Meritage Homes in Columbia, Tennessee, which brings all three of those together. Let’s go take a look.
Bear Springs is right off I-65 in Columbia, and as you can see, the community is still in the early stages of development. The model home is complete, and they have almost the entire first street finished.
Homes here start in the low $400s, and there are six different floor plans available.
We’re also going to look at some of the features Meritage Homes is known for, particularly its approach to energy efficiency.
The community is called Bear Springs because it is right off Bear Creek, and it sits less than a mile from I-65. If you’re commuting, that location can be an important advantage.
You’re approximately 15 minutes from Downtown Columbia. If you lived in or near Downtown Columbia and needed to commute north toward Franklin or Nashville, that could add another 15 minutes before even reaching the interstate.
Now let’s head inside the model.
Right off the front of the home is a flexible room that has been staged as an office. Depending on how you live, it could also serve as bonus space.
The downstairs flooring is LVP, which is durable and relatively low maintenance.
There is also a full bathroom downstairs in this model. If you’re interested in the exact configurations available, I can help you compare the options for each Bear Springs floor plan.
Before we head upstairs, let’s look at the main living space.
The home uses an open great-room concept, with the living room flowing into the dining area and kitchen.
The kitchen includes a large island with a quartz solid surface.
Another feature here is natural gas. Because of the infrastructure available in this location, the homes have access to natural gas.
From here, we’ll step outside and take a look at the model yard.
You can also see that Meritage is using Carrier air-conditioning equipment.
One of the things Meritage emphasizes is energy efficiency. Along with the construction of the windows and doors, that can also help reduce exterior noise and create a quieter environment inside the home.
That difference becomes noticeable when you move from outside back indoors.
Another feature worth mentioning is the yard. Meritage offers a fully sodded front and back yard here rather than simply landscaping the front and leaving dirt in the backyard. For many new-construction buyers, that is an important distinction.
Back inside, we have the pantry, which extends underneath the stairs and provides a good amount of storage.
Next is the garage.
This is a two-car garage, and because the home has natural gas service, you also have a natural-gas water heater.
One of the things I particularly like about this great-room layout is how connected the living spaces feel.
If you’re hosting, preparing dinner, cleaning up, or getting ready for the day, everyone can still feel like they’re together.
The floor plan doesn’t feel overly chopped up, but it still gives you separate spaces like the front office when you want more privacy.
Bear Springs offers six different floor plans ranging from approximately 1,400 square feet to around 2,300 square feet.
Now let’s go upstairs.
At the top of the stairs is a large loft area, which gives you another flexible living space.
On the other side is the owner’s suite, and it is also very spacious.
There is plenty of room for furniture. This model is staged with a king-size bed, and there appears to be enough additional length to accommodate a California king as well.
It’s a good use of space.
Inside the owner’s bathroom, there is a large standing shower and a walk-in closet.
There is also a substantial amount of usable closet space. Because this is new construction, the closet has standard builder shelving, but it could be customized later with a more elaborate closet system.
The bathroom also includes executive-height double vanities, overhead lighting, and mirrors.
There is a deep linen closet here as well, providing even more storage.
Here’s another look at the owner’s suite.
If you have questions about the floor plans, pricing, available homes, or options, let me know and I’d be happy to compile that information for you.
Now let’s take a look at the additional bedrooms.
This floor plan gives you multiple bedroom spaces along with the upstairs loft and the flexible room downstairs.
The secondary bedrooms are good-sized rooms. They are staged with full-size beds, which gives you a good sense of the usable space.
Furniture layout and orientation always matter, but the rooms make good use of the available square footage.
Now let’s return to one of Meritage Homes’ major selling points: energy efficiency.
The attic access in the model has been intentionally left open so you can see the spray-foam insulation.
There is also a temperature display near the attic space so buyers can see how the conditioned building envelope is performing.
The upper attic area will naturally still be warmer than the main living level, but the spray-foam insulation is designed to help manage that space more effectively than a traditionally vented attic.
The home also has an upstairs laundry room, which is convenient because it is located near the bedrooms.
There is another linen closet in the laundry area, adding more storage. Storage is consistently one of the things buyers tell me matters to them.
There is also another full bathroom with a tub-and-shower combination.
Altogether, this model has three full bathrooms, including two with tub-and-shower setups.
Again, we have executive-height sinks and mirrors.
Bear Springs is still relatively early in its development, so buyers looking now have an opportunity to consider the community while it is still being built out.
The community is approximately a mile from the I-65 Columbia interchange.
From here, you are about 15 minutes from Downtown Columbia in one direction.
Heading north on I-65, Cool Springs is roughly 30 minutes away under favorable conditions, although that can become closer to 45 minutes depending on traffic.
Downtown Nashville can generally be reached within about an hour depending on traffic, and Nashville International Airport is also roughly an hour away.
Now that we’re back outside, I can confirm that the model we toured is the Rockwell floor plan.
It is listed here as approximately 2,135 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Depending on the exact configuration and options available, some of the flexible spaces we saw during the tour may serve different purposes, so that is something buyers should confirm when comparing floor plans and available homes.
The exterior has a nice modern farmhouse influence.
Looking down the first street, you can also see that Meritage is using a variety of exterior colors and elevations, including neutrals, blues, whites, and other combinations. That helps keep the streetscape from feeling overly repetitive.
For buyers considering new construction in Columbia, Tennessee, Bear Springs offers an interesting combination of location, accessibility, energy-efficient construction, and a relatively approachable price point for Middle Tennessee.
If you’d like more information about Bear Springs, current availability, builder incentives, or how it compares with other new-construction communities around Columbia and Middle Tennessee, let me know.
