re: Generator advice

Go the long term route, whole house. Most portable generator are not made to withstand the outside elements for very long and you shouldn't run them any where near the eves of the house. Many are not designed to run 24/7.

Turn on everything in the house you want the generator to power and measure the amps at the meter and size the generator accordingly. Cheap generators run at 3600rpm and the better quality ones at 1800rpm. If using NG for fuel subtract 10-15% of rated power.