Having a couple of inches of a step down is huge for practical reasons. If the deck and the porch are at the same height, water can seep in.
People are more savvy than ever. They aren't too interested in a 10-by-10 deck. A lot of people don't lay out in the sun like they did in the '70s. They want to feel like they're in the yard, without the bugs.
If the walls are too tall, when you sit down, you feel like you're in a playpen. When you're sitting on the porch, you want to be able to see the outside.
That's something that will never be added as inexpensively as it will be at that time.