Home Improvement: Front Porch

We have lived in our house for about 4 years now and the front porch is a wonderful place we enjoy all year. Over the last few years we have noticed how quickly the paint faded, cracked, and started to peel. To fix this situation we decided to take on the home improvement project of hiring a professional to sand the porch and finish it just like you would indoor floors but with outdoor quality materials. This solution should last for five years until we need to put another top coat on the wood again. We are also having the front two steps replaced due to the quality of those steps needing an upgrade. I am very excited about this project and will post step by step progress photos this week so you can see the transformation too!!!
Photos of the progress and final product: