I agree. I think wrought iron will look and last best

Here are some design examples and sources for railings.

I think I'd prefer wood railings. Paint them the same color as the trim.

I would choose wrought iron as I believe that to be the best coordinating material with masonry steps and siding. To my eye, wood railings belong with wood porches and wood steps.

Seems you've posted two different houses. The last ones will work well with raillngs, but not wrought iron with that beefy little portico. Placement of railings (of any kind) on the first house you posted will be tricky due to the window locations. The railing will have to be mounted between the windows and door frame, losing quite a bit of your porch surface and looking a bit strange because of it, IMO.

one is the back door, the other the front door.

I like the wrought iron idea but not in a black.

if they can powder coat it to match your gray trim, or a slight darker gray, I'd go that route

your AC unit is in the front of the house?? I'd want to build a little camouflage fence or something around those

Thank you all! I particularly love the visual suggestions from Beverly for the various styles of iron railings! The pictures are of 2 areas - steps on the back patio & steps on the side of the house (with the ac units). This is the front of the house.

ah, ok. that makes sense! nice home

Thank you. Just moved in. Lots to do!

Nice house!

Thank you!

Totally Team Wrought Iron! Good luck! Can't wait to see what you pick!

...agree with painting the iron the trim color!

How about some camelfldge (sorry spelling) for utility’s on the front left?

Thank you all! I'll go with the iron railings painted to match the trim colors. hopefully i can find the right look to go with 1920s house & curved trim.

I have a raised area garden door exit that I have been trying to replicate a stair from a pic I have of my house from 1903. Turns out to build a rounded stringer is a big challenge so thinking going wrought iron ...but don’t like the size of what is available too fine material need chunky to suit my house and I think you do as well good luck

I was thinking the complete opposite! Not too thick, but unique without all the curley q’s, etc painted to match my trim.. something on the line of 105 or 108 above..but not exactly. Luckily, there seem to be a number of people who do wrought iron railings in our area. We’ll see just how good (artistic) they are! Good luck with your project.

Something in wood that picks up on the brackets on the eaves would look good.

I have the black "wrought iron" look in a fencing around my deck, BUT it's all actually aluminum, and NO maintenance !! I would go with that over wood with your masonry stairs, for a classier look....the big plus of going with the aluminum, is that it comes in COLORS, so you could possibly find a gray color to match your trim, or go with black !! Good luck and congratulations on your new home !!

Google Hell's Forge USA They have a Facebook page. Located in Monroe VA

They produce small forges but also make handrails.

Maybe at some point, consider for the front of the house, paint the portico and porch posts the same color as your grey trim to really make it pop in the front and tie into the railings if you're going with the grey color. The base of the porch already looks to be grey? Then those brackets up at the top could be done in the house cream color. Beautiful home to make your own!

I;ve had no railings in the 43 yrs that I've lived here. I've fallen down off the top step and broken bones. I'm not sure that wrought iron would be a good choice for a bungalow and wood may freeze in the wintertime.

I would for sure be sure it is maintenance free what ever you decide. I agree the substantial metal is a much better look than the old wrought iron.

Voting for wrought iron. I haven’t read all the responses but if no one has mentioned this:

If you live in an icy spot then put the railing in reach of the door where you can readily grab it and hang on to it when the stairs are slippery.

Keep us in the loop, we love seeing the update.

We installed dark bronze powder coated hand rails on our front steps to our house. The steps were kind of steep and I'm kind of old, so a handrail made a lot of sense.

For the door where the windows are going to be in the way - consider a curved railing where the narrowest part (connecting to the house) would be between the door and window on either side, then curve out wider. Like this: https://www.houzz.com/photos/custom-iron-exterior-railing-contemporary-porch-dc-metro-phvw-vp~25782464

Custom Iron Exterior Railing · More Info

Another photo of it:

Custom Iron Exterior Railing · More Info

Wrought iron- comes in different styles- or aluminum- powder coated. Beautiful home

I hesitated to use iron on my 1927 English cottage house, but it is beautiful. Much better than wood.

Custom made powder coated steel will last a lifetime and if you find the right fabricator blend in beautifully. It’s a completely different application but this is one we just had made for our garden.

jackowskib - thanks for the paint suggestions.. I'd love to repaint the whole house(down the road) & wanted to bring out the porch. Great idea!.
Skyler - your statement is exactly why we're doing this.
Corriewisco- great idea on the curve! Thank you..& thank you all!!

We used Trex for railings (and a short wheelchair ramp) and it's amazing how beautiful it is. Not to mention low maintenance and long lasting

Omgoodness! Did I see puppies in a stroller? 😊

Iron or aluminum. Not too much scrolling or ornate patterns.

Stay true to the era of your house. Wrought iron “matches” any color house so if you may change the exterior, it will always look like it should have been there.

You have a sweet home, and I 'd keep its look simple, but what I'd suggest depends largely on your budget. Starting with the rear door/stair/patio, I think adding stairs on both sides that meet up with the current stairs so you have stairs that wrap-around the top-landing, then place freestanding rails at each corner (See rough diagram). You may be able to do this on both areas, it just depends on the amount of space between the entry and A/C unit.

Hope this gives you a nice option to consider. Enjoy your home and project!

I would go with a wrought iron railing that is true to the period. Would do a little research. London 20’s exterior railings. How exciting!