Ringing Forums

Hi Barbara, no, I did not use marine ply as the tower is fairly dry, and it's been in place for may be 20yrs. and still looks good. marine ply would be better though, but is more expensive, so check on cost, and whether one sheet of ply per set of louvers is enough? Marine ply I think comes in smaller sheets.
This will lessen the noise of the bells on the sides you block up, without having any detremental effect on the other sides. but also bear in mind not to over do this, (even if you do have a complaint about the noise) as this needs to be balanced with the vast majority of the population who enjoy listening to them.
Sam

Being on the coast in Cornwall, I blocked up the louvers on the West side with a sheet of ply board screwed in place, as this was the direction of the prevailing wind and rain, and looked down on the pub and some houses. A few yrs. later, we were getting Jackdaws bringing in heaps of twigs for nesting all along the side of the frame, so when they finished nesting, I removed all the material (several bags) and fastened a stainless steel mesh (from a builders merchants) across the louvers, fastened in place by wood battons screwed around the edges. A bit pricey, but will last for ever, whilst maintaining good ventilation in the tower to minimise dampness on the bell frame.

Comparing quotes for the PCC to understand - I started by writing down everything included in the most expensive quote, which made it much clearer what was not included in the other quotes, to help compare like for like.
Subcontractors - (drilling/cutting sockets for the new bell frame) first see if the bell companies have anyone they would recommend, as these are much more likely to understand exactly what needs to be done and how.