Deer love hydrangeas, and I'm amazed that if they come up to your front steps to eat arborvitae that they haven't stripped your rhodie and holly. I suggest that no matter what you put in there that you spray it with a good deer repellent. I like Deer Off and in winter I use Plantskydd on vulnerable shrubs. And use it on the rhodie and holly before some deer decides to taste test those. You might try the arborvitae again and keep it sprayed. Another vertical shrub that deer usually leave alone is Berberis 'Helmond's Pillar', though perhaps barberries are flora non grata in your state. Cephalotaxus look a lot like yews but are quite deer resistant (spray anyhow, you want their first experience with a new shrub to be a terrible one.)

Want to see a picture of my 'custom' step? Are you ready? Ok....promise not to laugh. ok..ok...you have the right to laugh. I won't hold it against you. Actually, this is the original stoop to the house that we're remodeling this year. We had a contractor over and he kept complaining because the concrete platform sits uncomfortably low under the door, the distance obviously not up to code, so he built this for us on a whim...a temporary wooden step. I painted it and threw some of that rough tape on it to prevent us from slipping....LOL...it's really a pathetic looking thing, but temporary. Trust me, I can't wait to see it go. Especially after seeing your beautiful Teak! BTW - that's my old dog Cody (17 yrs) and the Chi is my beloved Chewy - I had to put Chewy down this past weekend due to congestive heart failure. I miss him dearly, he was such a little lover boy. He hadn't a clue to his own size...he'd charge Pit Bulls though he weighed all but 4 lbs! LOL.

I don't imagine that you need a railing for code, but one would be nice. I would cover the posts in white and have a white railing. Some simple plantings along the foundation. This is interesting. I like this one and the style of the porch skirting.

Porch - start from scratch and make sure any "wood" does not touch the concrete foundation (to prevent rot). No hole, just great pots as suggested. Landscaping - Love the tree on the right, very sculptural. Your "bushes" would benefit from reducing height and width by half. Sorry to say, that big evergreen tree has got to go. It will soon be way too large for the space available. Perhaps you can have it moved IF there's sufficient space for its mature size.