So, how will you handle the entrance to the house? Are you just going to have stairs going up to the front door with no protection from weather? Are you planning to add a new porch? Or, some sort of portico? Are you sure that you want people coming directly into the house, along with gusts of cold wind or hot air because you have no weather buffer? Might you be better off constructing an entrance that contained space for a coat closet, table, mirror, etc?

go for square painted balusters instead of turned ones, square posts instead of columns, really streamlines the look.