Ours will have a step, because our basement will be 3 ft above ground on 3 sides to allow for windows on all walls. Could you possibly have the landing at the top step larger so you will not be looking down and there will not be a step down immediately from the front door?

Here is what I was thinking. I don't know how your front door is set up, and you will obviously have to change this around a bit to work.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1518583}}

How much of an immediate step down are you talking about? The bottom edge of our front door of our new home sits about an inch and a half above the porch level. We had a similar step-down in our old house that was a tract home built in the mid-60s. I think you need a little bit of a rise so that rain can't flow in.

But, if you're talking a FULL step down (like 6 or 7 inches), I definitely would NOT want that and I don't think it's "standard". Certainly not around this part of the country anyway.

We have a step and I never thought it was strange. I think every house I've lived in has had a step into the house.

After reading your post I looked at houzz and there are plenty of examples of both.

We are at the roof rafter phase of a build. Our builder recommended a single step up for the front entry and again from the garage into the house to allow easier cleaning (hosing down) of the front porch and garage. NOTE: he made inquiry with us BEFORE taking the action. We agreed with the recommendation.

Our floorplate is about as low to the ground as you can go. It looks much like pps7 posted. About three inches up to the bluestone stoop and another couple inches over the threshold of the entry door.

You should not have to step up more than that. It sounds as though they've poured your stoops too low.

While it isn't common, Worthy I think you are confused.

A door above grade is common but not required. But a step up from the porch is a little strange.

Now if the porch isn't covered and it is a snow zone that makes a lot of sense. We don't get much snow but there is one house that lived in that didn't have a covered porch and there was about a 4 inch step up. But I suspect most porches in snow areas are covered. Of course, a cover doesn't prevent a problem but it makes it better.

I think there are codes that require an elevation change from an enclosed garage. But it must be new because my last house had nothing.

But a step up from the porch is a little strange.

Not judging from the millions of pictures of porches I linked to.

Worthy I think you are confused.

Is this mrs. worthy?

I'll take a photo of it tomorrow and post it so it's clear what we've got. I think the step will be about 7 or 8 inches.

Pps7, do you warn everyone as they leave your house that they need to step down? I feel like it's such an unusual thing that I'd want to warn people so they don't fall flat on their face. :)

I don't think OP was complaining about the door being "above grade." If I understood OP correctly, they have a stoop (a/k/a porch) that is above grade and then their door is raised above the level of the porch by another full step. Since a covered porch raised above grade already serves the purpose of impeding water and snow from entering the house, raising the door above the level of the porch doesn't seem to serve much purpose - except maybe to make it easier to hose off the porch.

With respect Worthy, some of the millions of pictures you linked to do show a door raised above the level of the porch by a fair amount. Eg, this one: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=front+porches&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=588&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=AM7Yt4-3HEhKhM:&imgrefurl=http://www.inhomehandyman.com/portfolio.php&docid=E63EcLpN0tS-RM&imgurl=http://www.inhomehandyman.com/portfolio_images/exterior1.jpg&w=609&h=406&ei=r93zTozLFsSnsALb8PmZAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=844&vpy=190&dur=268&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=167&ty=120&sig=102449503994134452778&page=1&tbnh=108&tbnw=159&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0

But others just as clearly show a door that seems to be set level or nearly level with the porch. Eg., this one: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=front+porches&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=588&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=T_NdNHQ36LGPQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.new-jersey-contractor.com/porch_projects.htm&docid=qyofbG-EtKpuaM&imgurl=http://www.new-jersey-contractor.com/Photos/Porch/MackLowConstructionFrontPorch-002.jpg&w=1027&h=800&ei=r93zTozLFsSnsALb8PmZAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=983&vpy=236&dur=1141&hovh=198&hovw=254&tx=208&ty=140&sig=102449503994134452778&page=4&tbnh=98&tbnw=139&start=63&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:63

And I don't think keeping the door level with the porch is merely a new-fangled idea since one of the pictures you linked to is this lovely old front porch image: http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=front+porches&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=588&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=oGrcG70-utd6mM:&imgrefurl=http://thegoodcity.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/front-porches-vs-american-ideal/&docid=3TLQi9DeK3D3FM&imgurl=http://thegoodcity.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/1435352816_166e3f2654.jpg&w=500&h=430&ei=r93zTozLFsSnsALb8PmZAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=456&vpy=121&dur=639&hovh=208&hovw=242&tx=145&ty=123&sig=102449503994134452778&page=4&tbnh=98&tbnw=134&start=63&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:63

We wanted our house to be handicap accessible and ran a sloped sidewalk from our driveway up to our porch so that one would not have to climb the porch steps. A step up from porch level into the house would have defeated the whole accessibility purpose.

And, obviously OP is familiar with homes where there is no step-up from porch to door. Otherwise I doubt OP would have ever consciously noticed that there was a step up in this case. Maybe having a step up from the porch level is a regional thing. Common in some parts of the country and not in others?

I remember having this same conversation with our builder and my husband when we poured our front porch. Our front porch is also raised several steps up. When exiting the front door, it looks like pps7's door with a small step down to the porch level.

I also was not pleased with this and complained at the time. However, in speaking with the builder, my husband and my father (a structural engineer), I was told that if they poured the concrete porch exactly level with the finished main floor, it would cause the concrete to be against the sill plate. There was concern as to how to weather proof the sill plate properly with it directly adjacent to the "wet" concrete.

I don't remember all the specifics that were given to me at the time, but they were all concerned with the potential for the pressure treated sill plate to rot over time. Instead, with the step down, the concrete porch is next to the concrete foundation, with no weather proofing concerns.

At the time, they told be they could put in rubber membranes and do their best to protect the sill plate, but it would always be a weak spot. Our porch is also 30 feet long across the entire front facade of the house. If we were talking about a 6 foot wide portion against the sill plate, they would not have fought the issue as strongly, but because of the amount of length involved, they were more adamant about keeping the concrete away from the wood.

Nope, I don't warn people and no one has fallen flat on their face so far.

But Mr. Worthy, most of those pics did not have a significant step up from the porch. Signed, Ms Worthy.

Amazing how a seemingly small thing can have so many different opinions from builders. We have a 15 ft wide porch and it is level with our floor joists. There is a door jamb and that is all.

For people that have a step up - what is the material below the door jamp? Brick/siding?

As far as the water issue, our floor trusses are at least 12 inches (I can't remember if they are 16). So do you have 2 steps to get in front door, because that is what you would need to get the wet concrete off of the floor system?

2009 IRC says:

R311.3.1 Floor elevations at the required egress doors. Landings or floors at the required egress door shall not be more than 11/2 inches (38 mm) lower than the top of the threshold.

Exception: The exterior landing or floor shall not be more than 7 3/4 inches (196 mm) below the top of the threshold provided the door does not swing over the landing or floor.

A step is for weather protection and is usually no more than 4 inches even in northern climates. Even when the entrance is covered the step is advisable to avoid wind driven rain from entering the house. There have been several posts on the GW about water being blown under a door that had no step.

The other part of that code of Renovator's, at least in our city, is that there must be a LANDING of at least 3x3' outside the door. So, although there is a step down, people walking out your door can see the landing and know that it is lower than the floor of your house.

I questioned ours when we put our addition on the back. Our front door's landing is even with the floor joists. But, when they put in our french doors in the back, the landing/stairs are about 3 inches lower. I was worried about it, but no body has fallen down the step. It is very natural to us now. If it were just a thin step, it would be a problem, but with the depth of a 3' landing, the eye tells the feet where to go.

Folkvictorian -- I wouldn't accept a 'climb in' entry. Sounds like they poured the stoops too low and are trying to wiggle out of tearing out the cement to re-do the stoops. If the floorplate of the house is much higher than the ground, any necessary steps need to be from the ground ONTO the stoop, not from the stoop INTO the house.

(I have only seen this defect once.)

Commercial buildings are required by code to NOT have a step up. I prefer not to have a step going into the front door of homes for all the reasons that Commercial do.

Well, it's taken me a while to get back here, but we did meet with the builder. It's just as others have said -- the step is to keep rain and snow from entering the house. Our builder has been outstanding so far, and I absolutely believe that he's not "trying to get away with something" or whatever. My husband is a structural engineer, and the step didn't bother him.

I'll get used to it, obviously, and I think my main concern is my elderly mother. We intentionally asked for as few steps into the front and back doors as possible, but the foundation is taller than we expected. On the other hand, our views of the valley are astonishing, and made better because of the foundation height.

"Commercial buildings are required by code to NOT have a step up."

It is a good thing commercial buildings are NOT th esame as residential.

"I prefer not to have a step going into the front door of homes for all the reasons that Commercial do."
It is mostly a handicapped access issue, and NOT a problem for regular residential construction (thank goodness so far).

I cannot recall a house i have lived in that did not have at least a partial step up from the front porch area.

Hi. A house I'm looking at has the same thing and I'd like to even that step out. Did you ever fix yours? If so can you show before/after pics? I just want to see how doable it is. The thing though is that I'd have to redo the whole entryway to the front yard in my case.

No step up in this house (at the front door or patio doors. Back door has a small, one step up stoop and there is a step up from garage to house) or in the one we are building. No steps at all in the new house itself. No ledge even in the walk in shower. We are going to age in this house.

There will be outdoor steps to the basement storage room.

k377yk, start a new thread and post some pictures. Digging up a years old thread and giving no pertinent information will not get you much in the way of help.

Since I asked for ADA compliant doors, I was assuming I won't have a step up into the house. I'll have to check with my builder! (There will be steps up to the covered porch, but those can be easily be made ramp-ready if that time ever comes.)

But yes, currently there's a step up into my right-now home, and has been one at every house I've ever lived in.

You can buy an aluminum ramp for your door and use it when needed or install it permanently.

ADA is a federal law for buildings that are accessed by the public. It establishes strict detailed design standards to accommodate many different kinds of handicaps. There are a few rules in the law that might serve your needs but it is better to specify what you want rather than assume your contractor will know how to apply the law to your home.

I didn't want any steps up to our front door because of my handicapped mother. Our house will have to be elevated above the street because of flood plain concerns so I wanted a sloped circle drive and then a sloped sidewalk from the circle. My husband wants the entrance to have steps so we compromised by making the garage entrance ADA accessible and my parents will enter via the garage. It's not my preference but I needed to compromise somewhere since I've gotten most of what I've wanted during the design process.

If the step up from a 2 car garage to the house is greater than 18", it will be difficult to fit an ADA ramp efficiently inside the garage.

The architect has designed the garage to not have a step up into the house. We will use removable rubber curb stops to let us know where to stop our cars.

Thanks, Sanford. I talked to the GC last night, and he's made note that there should be no steps into the house from either the front porch or the deck. He's now on board!

@chisue I'm considering bluestone for my front porch and have the same question whether to have a step down...do you have a picture of your front porch with bluestone you can share.

Old thread but always relevant.

As noted above, code allows either way to all exterior landings. I don't decide by policy but by the way the plans are drawn and/or foundation type. Typically a home built on a slab on grade will have a minimal drop to the landing. A home on a raised foundation will drop 5.5-6.5" although allowed to 7.75"

If you're planning for wheelchair access, make it known early for best results!

Looks like the step-up in my coming build will be minimal as the architect has drawn a "reverse ledge" to keep the build low to the ground, as per the illustration below. (Mine will rest the floor joists on a ledge in the poured 10" wall.)

Source: Designed Happy Blog

@jlpaca -- My stoop and entry are nearly identical to what pps7 posted. Ground to top of bluestone stoop is 5". Bluestone stoop to threshold into the house is 6". I have been very glad to have the stoop covered with a 6-foot deep overhang -- closed wall on the west side and arched openings north (front) and east (other side). Our wood entry door has only required restaining once after 18 years. (North of Chicago) The opening to the east brightens the area and helps with mold/mildew on the bluestone.

The under side of an exterior door threshed presents an easy path for water intrusion so its a common location for water damage. Dropping the exterior landing a few inches below the interior floor level is the most common solution. It would be rare to not have a step in a New England house.

If there is no step, there should be decking gaps, a slot or a recessed area with a grating to prevent water or snow from contacting the threshold.

This thread about porches has me stooped...

Here's builder Matt Risinger showing off no threshold entries in Austin, Texas.

The front door has a drop-down sill--presumably to keep out some of the 20 scorpion species native to the state.

We have a no threshold door from both front and garage entrance. My husband uses a wheelchair outside the house and at some point probably inside. It was a must have in our custom build last year.

Did have two steps into house at front door. Had front lawn regraded to eliminate steps. Can roll into house now. I was re-landscaping so I figured why not?

I have a walkway leading to the step-up at the front door and like a flower bed between the walkway and the house foundation, where water stands and at the front door. when it rains we can't hardly Step down on it to get to the driveway. what can I do. please help.

Your best chance of getting help here is to start your own new discussion.

Old but interesting.

A step up lift wood or moist susceptible material away from grade or concrete porch. Ernest your walkway was supposed to slop away from the house. A 0 slope or slightly sloped towardsthe foundation will cause water to accumulated with no where to go.

I’m in the process of lowering the pavers even further to stop the leaves blowing into the house

You will appreciate this height difference over the years, as someone who is stuck with concrete at porch floor height. When there is heavy snowfall, am unable to open front screen door!