Not sure waht you want to change.

We were thinking of a different style. Maybe widen the stairs (there's no easy way to move furniture or other large items in/out of the house), or change the design so it's not a straight shot up the front. I can't seem to find any good examples since the stairs have to go up so far to reach the first floor.

What are the interior stairs like? Maybe moving the front door to the ground floor and eliminating the stairs outside would be workable. You could do a split stair, but not sure it would help with moving furniture.

Elevations · More Info

The Charleston Southern Colonial Post and Beam · More Info

The ground-level floor is the garage and utility rooms - a cement foundation. There are interior stairs from the "basement" to the upstairs, but they're not decorative or functional in terms of accessibility. Your second example looks good. My husband keeps referring to "you know, like the kind of steps they have in a palace." :) This helps me imagine it more realistically.

What about a wide second porch in front of the higher one about halfway down (Lower then your little landing now)? Then you can have stairs facing the side and the front.

You can drop a set of steps to a landing below the front of the door, and then connect the side steps for a lower angle of incline. Basically, my photo #2 with Beverly's to maintain your style.

"My husband keeps referring to "you know, like the kind of steps they have in a palace." :) "

Cutest thing I've heard all day, and I have a three year old!

Hold up a minute! Don't get so elaborate that you leave your country style home in the dust. It isn't a Southern Colonial charmer, so you need to count on simplicity to hold that style note. While beautiful, some of the stairs shown will start looking like lipstick on a pig, and your home is not a pig. Just keep it all relevant.