Those tiles just look wrong - like you borrowed them from the kitchen or bath. Save some $$ by doing the demo yourself with a sledge hammer! Then pressure wash the porch, walk and circle drive. Take more pix and post again. I'm sure you'll get additional and more specific suggestions.

I agree with deco. I'd get rid of the tiles and reface the porch and steps with cedar or another appropriate wood. Could you extend the top steps all the way to the left so they're all the same width as the bottom one?

And get rid of the little pot on the steps and the one to the left of the steps. (Actually, the whole bed to the left of the steps is waaay too small to be of any use at all. Can it be extended around the corner and along the house? Between the house and the fence looks too small to mow anyway.) The pots on the porch look to be a decent size, but don't get any pots smaller than those. They just look ineffective outdoors because the scale is off.

You have a charming little house.

I like your porch and your home. My silly side says your drive is so not a smiling face! I think you need some interest in your plantings, a little less symmetry and more height variations. Check out a local nursery for free or low cost suggestions. Yes, that tile, remove it all.

I'll jump back in to say if you're up for a bigger job, I'd eliminate the railing above the steps and replicate the handrail on either side of new wide new steps all the way across.

228 Pendleton Road · More Info

The tile should be removed. Retiling with any kind of tile is only going to bring more problems later. I agree with Decoenthusiaste that that steps would be better if full width of opening between posts, which would necessitate expanding the landing at base of steps. If you can't do that, then width equal to bottom step. It would be important to have all steps with equal risers. (It looks like there are 3 different riser heights now.) If rebuilding, it would be a much nicer to have 16" depth (front to back) treads. In a rebuild, consider flanking steps with cheekwalls.

I would not clad existing in wood because you'll never be able to keep water from being trapped between wood and concrete. Rot would start too soon. Brick or concrete would be good materials to make new steps out of. Possibly will need new upper landing. Maybe residual ground can be ground off. Painted concrete upper porch landing would be OK if the texture is clean.

The bed line needs to tie to walk at 90*. Would be better to reconfigure edging as either the blue or yellow line, as follows. Or, if the bed were filled with groundcover in addition to shrubs, grass could be eliminated and the driveway, at least in front of the house, could be the bed edge.

Thank you all for taking the time to provide your great input. These are all ideas I hadn't thought about before and am going to try to implement.

Yardvaark, thanks so much for the pictures! I looked up cheekwall and am a bit uncertain but think it refers to walls on each side of the porch steps (similar to the photo below), is that correct?

Thank you,

Matt

Matt, it's the type of tile that was used. a cheap ceramic tile like that shouldn't be used. (although, I will say, 20 something years ago we used it for an outdoor patio/courtyard and it's held up just fine over the years. yes, it was set on concrete) are you in an area with harsh winters? I'm in SoCal so maybe that's why it's worked.

With yours, you can see the water damage (the black parts) that have taken their toll. where does the water run off happen when it rains? I'm going to guess those lower steps get the brunt of it. I'd address that and then remedy your stairs.

btw, are those stairs even to code? the top step looks narrower than the ones below. measure all of the steps and the risers. what do you have?

they do have a crack isolation membrane if you need to fix the steps

How about a natural stone? Slate is always good. comes in many colors, sizes, thickness.

you could also get a mason to do a brick veneer to match your home and set the slate steps.

The main thing is to fix the substrate and fix any water seepage from occurring. Exterior caulking could also be used on any joints where water could seep in behind the tile. I would also hope that the step tiles are slightly leveled downward so that no standing water will sit on those steps. ditto your porch.

Matt, you are correct about cheekwalls. They give a more substantial, finished look, as well as do dual duty as impromptu seating.

I like celerygirl’s sketch, though I would make the bottom landing the full width of the steps. Notice that two of the three of Beth’s examples also have the steps full width. I think layout is at least as important as material in making an attractive entry. I would avoid anything that has the potential to be slippery when wet, which IME may include bluestone.

Beth H, thanks so much for the ideas and photos to help visual it! I live in New Orleans so don't have harsh winters but do have our fair share of rain. Thanks again!

Celerygirl, thanks for the photo! That is so helpful in being able to see what my porch could look like fixed up and I really like it. Much appreciated!!