Porch Renewal and Railing Build- Lawrence, KS

Sep 1, 2026

A homeowner hired me to build a new railing system after they had new concrete steps poured. Their porch had wood rot and peeling paint, and they also wanted a small railing added to their back deck. The biggest part of the job was the railing running from the concrete steps down to the driveway, built strong and secure enough for elderly parents to use safely going up and down. I built the railing to be strong, stable, and good looking, then painted the porch and railing to match the house.

The hardest part was getting the posts on the concrete steps strong and secure. I bored holes in the posts, sank rebar through the concrete and into the ground, then slid the posts down onto the rebar. I secured base plates to the concrete to hold everything steady, then trimmed out the bottoms of the posts with PVC to protect and seal the metal plates from wearing out over time.

I am proud of how it turned out and how I solved the problems with the posts to make sure this setup has real longevity. Plenty of people can make something look good for a short while, but I built this railing to last and stay beautiful for years. The homeowners were thankful for how strong and secure I made the railings.

Before

House exterior with new unrailed concrete steps leading to the front porch.
New concrete steps and porch before the railing was installed.
Close-up of a porch railing post with rotted, peeling wood at its base.
Wood rot at the base of an existing porch post before repair.

The Work

Porch corner post being prepped and painted with a drop cloth on the deck.
Porch post scraped and primed ahead of repainting.
New wood railing post with a diagonal brace at the bottom of the concrete steps.
New railing post set at the base of the concrete steps.
Close-up of a railing post base fastened to concrete steps with a metal bracket.
New post base secured to the concrete with a mounting bracket.
New railing post and diagonal brace being installed beside the driveway.
Diagonal railing brace installed along the concrete steps.
New railing framework built down the concrete steps toward the driveway, with a ladder set up nearby.
Handrail framework going in along the new concrete steps.
Close-up of a galvanized bracket securing a railing post to concrete steps.
Metal bracket anchoring a railing post to the concrete steps.
Close-up of a railing post base bolted down near a drilled anchor point in the yard.
Railing post anchored at the bottom of the steps near the yard.
New wood handrail running down the concrete steps to the front porch.
Handrail installed along the concrete steps, before final paint touch-up.
New railing with vertical spindles installed along the concrete steps by the front door.
Railing with vertical spindles built along the porch steps.
Front porch and steps with new painted railing, drop cloths still on site.
Finished handrail and steps painted to match the house, before final cleanup.
Unpainted wood railing framing being built on the back deck near the sliding door.
New back deck railing framed at the sliding door.
Completed wood railing with spindles on the back deck steps, unpainted.
Back deck railing built with vertical spindles, ready for finishing.

Finished

Finished concrete steps and porch railing painted to match the house trim.
Finished front steps and painted railing leading to the door.
Finished painted railing running from the porch down to the driveway.
Finished railing along the concrete steps beside the driveway.
Finished painted porch railing and concrete steps beside the stone garage wall.
Finished porch railing and steps viewed from the driveway.
Finished sage-green railing along a long run of concrete steps toward the street.
Finished railing running down the full length of the concrete steps.
Finished porch railing and post detail beside the stone porch base and red front door.
Finished porch railing and post detail by the front door.

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