Hi rbumbbry, I would recommend a simple and cost effective solution, which is to wrap the existing posts with 2x6 and 2x8, which will give you a much more pronounced front entry. I would not add railing as it makes most people feel like they are fenced in. Best of luck, Jerome DeMarco ART.chitecture

Thanks so much for the input, Jerome! We will have to replace the columns as some are rotting at the bottom. But we could definitely wrap them rather than buying the wider prefab columns which seem to be rather pricy. I was going back and forth about a railing possibly looking too "busy". You make a good point about feeling fenced in. I've had one contractor tell me that we could use pressure treated lumber as the posts (which now I would want to wrap to achieve the effect you mentioned). Another told me that cedar would be a better option. What would you recommend?

Hi again, you can wrap a pressure treated post with several types of products as long as you prime and paint them out. Or you can use cedar or redwood if you want to stain the wood for a more natural look. So it all depends on the finished style you would like to have. Best of luck, Jerome DeMarco ART.chitecture