The patch work that I did to our front steps hasn't aged well, so we hired some better woodworking help to build some proper steps.

The hardest part about the steps is that they were built before the stone facade was added. The facade then embeds the steps, making replacing the stringers, treads, or risers difficult. We discussed just pulling it all out, and building some sturdy box-steps in place. The difficulty seemed to be keeping them in place and stable, so I suggested building the boxes abutting the walls along the steps. Use 2-by construction, to make it sturdy, but fixed the sides to the walls as part of the construction. A couple doodles, and it was decided.

Deconstruction was easy, and left the area clear to see what difficulty the stones really left. After some measuring and clever math, the sides of the box, replacing the stringer, and the front riser were added, and the first tread installed. It turned out that the first was easier than the second, as the space remaining, especially with the front of the porch blocking access from behind, was much tighter than starting anew. For the first step, coming in from behind was easy, so it was possible to use wood the entire width. For the second step, that same access was denied, and the "aha" moment of why the facade is a problem was realized.

In my initial suggestion for mounting the boxes to the walls, I'd suggested that the sides, along the wall, be a 2x higher than the front, at the riser. The tread could then sit between the sides of the box, supported as necessary from the inside. This would allow the tread to be narrower, and fit better between the facade. While there might be some optics with the tread abutting the wood at the sides, it would be at the stonework, and might be masked some. Trial and error did demonstrate that was possible, but not as sturdy and not really easier to construct, In the end, the compromise was to split the riser for the second step, as it doesn't add as much structurally. The full-width tread was able to be installed, with just a little cheater trim on the width and corners to squeeze into place. The result is a solid, thick step in place.

There's a tiny difference in the rise for the first two steps over the last step going up (or the first step going down. It's just enough to catch you as you walk, but since there's only three steps, not a concerning difference. It's noticeable as you ascend the steps because you take a half-inch larger than necessary step going up, after taking such large steps on the first two. It's different going down, as you take a shorter step from the porch to the first step, then a little larger drop to the next two. Again, by the time your body says "hey, this is off!" you're done with them. And it isn't any more distracting than the step-and-a-half depth of the remainder of the stairs to the street, where it's an awkward half-step with both feet on each step, or large lunge to do one foot per step.

The middle (top box step) also has a slight lean outward, so you tip off a little as you walk down, but again, on three steps, it's barely registering as you step off of it and you're done descending. It isn't any worse than the incline in the interim steps, nor the sag from before the previous rebuild effort. In all, a great improvement, and a nice probably nearly final set of steps (before we decide to go concrete or replace the facade all together).

Everyone is healthy.