SpeckledScrap

100% second. First home I owned was built in the 50s. Washing machine drain line started backing up which lead to the discovery of 40-ft of cast iron drain pipe that essentially disintegrated.....under slab....under the kitchen and hallway.... never thought i would get to see a 3' x 3' tunnel dug underneath my house. Not fun.

Current house also built in the 50s. Just something about the character of older homes those new ones don't have. If you can deal with the plumbing, single pane windows, electrical, and energy inefficiency, the architectural and structural design of those older homes are hard to beat.

Older homes and neighborhoods also tend to be in the best locations (access, proximity, high ground, etc.) depending on which city you are in.

For the last few years, our family has really enjoyed watching the monarch life cycle at the house. By this point in the season, our milkweed plants are usually wiped out two or three times by batches of caterpillars. Our two little girls get a kick out of counting the caterpillars then seeing where they set up their chrysalis around our porch.

This year has been a completely different story. We’ve seen a few monarch butterflies here and there, but haven’t found a single caterpillar. Located n the South Baton Rouge area, and our milkweed plants are as thick and healthy as ever.

Has anyone else noticed a similar drop-off this year?

The distance between your natural gas meter and where your power comes in is a cost driver as well. And where you want the generator installed relative to those.

Also consider the service options and warranty each contractor/provider offers. Saving a little on the install cost goes out the door when there is an outage and your generator doesn't start but the provider tells you it will be a week before they can repair it.