Updating a Tuscan-Style Home in Colorado
Plenty of the custom and semi-custom homes built across the Front Range in the late 1990s and 2000s went up in the Tuscan look. Drive through Flying Horse or Castle Pines and you will still find the dark cherry cabinets with corbels, faux-finished golden walls, tumbled stone backsplashes and wrought iron chandeliers. The houses are usually well built. What dates them is the finish layer. This guide covers how we approach updating a Tuscan-style home within the existing footprint, what is worth keeping and where the work usually starts.
Why these homes feel dated all at once
The Tuscan look was rarely one room. It ran through the whole house, so the kitchen, the great room, the entry, the primary bath and the stair all share the same palette. Change the kitchen alone and it reads as the one updated room in an older house. That is the main reason Tuscan updates tend to become whole-home projects rather than single rooms.
It also explains why our first visit is longer and more involved for this kind of home. We walk every room, note the finishes that tie the house together and sort what has to change together from what can stay.
What is often worth keeping
Not everything from that era has to go. Many of these homes have real stone and natural materials. 2026 design has also moved back toward warm, layered rooms rather than stark white ones.
Travertine or stone flooring that is in sound condition can often stay, with the walls, lighting and cabinetry around it updated so it reads current again. Wrought iron is another one. A heavy scrolled stair rail does not have to come out entirely. Our wrought iron handrail work can replace the balusters or the full rail with a cleaner profile. Arched openings and niches can stay as character or be squared up inside the existing walls where they fight a more current look.
What usually changes
The kitchen is almost always first. Tuscan kitchens tend to carry ornate cabinetry, raised bar tops and busy granite. Cabinets are either replaced or kept as they are with the counters, backsplash, lighting and paint around them updated. If the boxes are solid and the layout works, keeping them is a legitimate option. If the island or the layout is changing, new cabinets are usually part of the answer.
Walls come next. Golden faux finishes and textured paint give way to warmer neutrals, which changes the whole house faster than any other single step. Lighting follows, since oversized iron fixtures are among the most dated pieces in these homes. The fireplace is often the focal point of the great room. A carved mantel with a heavy stone surround can be remodeled into something simpler without losing the warmth. Bathrooms usually carry the same tumbled stone and dark vanities, so they belong in the same plan.
Our team offers our own design knowledge and experience through the process. If you would like to bring in an outside designer, we work hand-in-hand with them as well.
Typical 2026 cost ranges
Every remodel is different. The actual cost for your project depends on the scope, finish level, material selections, structural conditions and the specific home. The ranges below reflect what we typically see for Colorado Springs whole-home remodel projects in 2026. They are meant to help you set expectations for budgeting, not as a quote. We share a fixed-bid number for your specific scope after the consultation. Projects in the Denver suburbs generally price about 15 to 20 percent above these figures.
A cosmetic whole-home refresh, with paint, flooring, lighting, hardware, refreshed cabinetry, new counters and updated bath vanities and fixtures but no layout changes in a 2,500 to 3,500 square foot home, typically falls in the $150,000 to $250,000 range for projects of this scope. Specifics for your home will vary. A mid-range whole-home remodel, with the kitchen and primary bath fully remodeled, secondary baths updated, new flooring, all-new lighting and possibly one or two walls opened, typically falls in the $200,000 to $450,000 range. A higher-end whole-home remodel, with significant layout changes, a custom kitchen and baths, premium finishes and all new mechanicals within the existing footprint, typically falls in the $350,000 to $700,000+ range.
We don't price by formula or per-square-foot. Every Alpine project is fixed-bid against your specific scope, written down before work starts. The ranges above are for orientation. The number for your project comes from the consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Tuscan style coming back in 2026?
Parts of it are. Warm wood tones, natural stone and layered rooms are back in favor. The heavy ornament, dark faux finishes and oversized iron fixtures are not.
Do I have to replace travertine floors when updating a Tuscan home?
No. If the stone is in good condition, it often stays and the rest of the room is updated around it.
How long does it take to update a Tuscan-style home?
A cosmetic whole-home refresh typically takes four to six months. A mid-range remodel typically takes five to eight months.
Schedule a free consultation
If your home still carries the Tuscan look, we are glad to walk it with you and sort what stays from what goes. See more of our whole-home remodeling work or what we do for homeowners in Highlands Ranch. Call our Colorado Springs office at (719) 574-9676 or our Lone Tree office at (720) 835-2105 for a free in-home consultation. Alpine Contracting provides interior remodeling services for homeowners in Colorado Springs, Monument, Woodland Park and the Southern Denver suburbs including Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Parker and Castle Rock.
***The ranges reflect what we typically see in the area(s) mentioned in 2026 — they're meant to help you set a rough guide for budgeting, this is not to be used as a quote. We share a fixed-bid number for your specific scope after the consultation.
