14 Design Ideas for Porch Steps and Stairs

Give your feet an experience and dress up your home with these designs and materials, including exotic wood, stone and concrete.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

March 17, 2016

By: Lori Johnston

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Innovative Construction

Photo By: JJ Ortega

Photo By: Brian Gassel, Epic Development

Photo By: Candler Park Home Tour

Photo By: Concrete Craft

Photo By: Atlanta Decking and Fence

Photo By: Atlanta Decking & Fence

Photo By: Edwards Andrews Homes

Photo By: Eric Piasecki Photography, ASLA

Photo By: Concrete Craft

Photo By: Jan Stittleburg, Atlanta Decking

Photo By: Innovative Construction

High-Quality Products

Ipe decking, a type of Brazilian hardwood, is used for a wide set of stairs leading to a screened porch designed by Clark Harris of Innovative Construction, based in Roswell, Ga. Pocket doors maximize the porch space and create a unique entryway.

Spiral Staircase

A spiral staircase connects the bottom and top floors of this stunning porch. The bottom level has retractable Phantom Screens and the top level is screened. The stairs are made of matte black wrought iron and exotic ipe wood, selected by Eric and Jenny Rothman of Atlanta's Rothman + Rothman Design.

Industrial Look

A staircase made of matte black wrought iron and exotic ipe wood brings a bit of an industrial feel to this home in an historic Atlanta neighborhood. The covered two-story outdoor porch was designed by Eric and Jenny Rothman of Rothman + Rothman Design.

Modern Elements

A custom horizontal railing is used to add a modern feel to the Modern Prairie design of this Atlanta home. The stair risers are brick with a flagstone top. Both materials compliment the stone and brick on the house built by Epic Development.

Cute on a Corner

Just a few repairs were needed, including a new white railing, on the exterior of this 1915 home in Atlanta's Candler Park neighborhood. Most of the front porch, which spans more than 56 feet, is original construction. A curved wraparound porch is unusual for American Foursquare style, but the builder apparently took the liberty to mimic the curved corner lot, says homeowner Chip Wallace, an Atlanta real estate agent who restored the home. He worked with Black Dawg Construction in Atlanta.

Stone Look

The covered back porch and patio steps and floors previously had different shades of concrete. Concrete Craft covered the concrete with a coating, imprinted it with texture and hand-carved the design to make it look like hand-laid stone.

White and Bright

A set of crisp white wood stairs and railing ties together the front porch with the rest of this traditional brick home in metro Atlanta. The porch work is by Atlanta Decking and Fence.

See-Thru Setup

This home's black wrought iron railing and banister enhance the entryway without blocking the look of the brick exterior and columned front porch. The porch, which has a curved portico, was created by Atlanta Decking & Fence.

Going Vertical

You'll want to consider whether the railing goes in a horizontal or vertical pattern. This vertical railing used on a metro Atlanta porch by Edwards Andrews Homes contrasts with the stacked stone layout of the fireplace.

Choosing a Cable Rail

A teak handrail and horizontal cable rails fit in with the urban environment of a contemporary Manhattan townhouse garden and terrace space. It's part of an overall project by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in Charlottesville, Va., which won an American Society of Landscape Architects award.

Concrete Redo

A once-plain gray concrete walkway, step and porch floor has a stone-like appearance. The concrete was resurfaced by Concrete Craft, which used multiple colors to create custom-blended stains designed to mimic the look of stone. Concrete Craft says the process is a low-maintanence, affordable alternative to natural stone.

Inviting Front Porch

Stone is a favorite material for outdoor kitchen projects, according to Atlanta Decking & Fence, but it doesn't have to be relegated to the backyard. This front porch in metro Atlanta has stone steps that stand out against the brick exterior.

Off to the Side

This metro Atlanta deck is designed and constructed by Innovative Construction, based in Roswell, Ga. Stairs made of pressure-treated pine railings and black steel pickets lead from a screened porch to the backyard.

Steel and Pine Stairs

Black steel pickets contrast with pressure-treated pine selected for a set of stairs extending from a screened back porch to the yard. Innovative Construction, based in Roswell, Ga., designed the outdoor living space and stairs.