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Just for closure, for someone on a budget ($3900 in the end) I'm reasonably happy with the outcome... my entire main floor is powered (fridge, microwave, lights, TV, PCs, wifi, 2 BR, garage, outside...) I got a trifuel 7500w generator that goes into the new panel, and there I can pick and choose my circuits out of the 10, or turn them all on one after another, and reverse the operation when power returns. There's power level meters on each bank of 5 it seems. It's all manual... Tested OK, it works. The generator itself is not Honda quiet but 1/3 of the price I wasn't gonna pay $4500 for a Honda 7000i that gets used 3x a year. Loud is fine for daytime operation, I will build a wood cage around it to drop the noise a little but not so tight to cause heating issues.. Starting on propane is way trickier than on gas, you must use the choke first a few seconds, then stop, then start again but immediately turn off the choke... I Guess I will use this on propane for small durations and go gas for longer planned outages, let the gas run out and switch back to propane...
Wish I could have done a full house gen but in my city, with code issues (proximity to windows and neighbor) and closeness of neighbors, the trenching alone to connect it and supply with with natural gas would have been cost prohibitive.
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