To tell my neighbour I won’t stop running on my treadmill?

[Oldhag5]

Following on from the thread about the piano teacher where the consensus seems to be she can teach and play piano in her own home…..
I am trying to lose weight and bought a new treadmill which I have put in my garage. The garage is in a block and there are two flats above the block. I was running/walking on it and the neighbour from upstairs came down and said ‘that’s a very noisy machine you’ve got there’. The neighbours have lived there about a year and we get on ok, pass the time of day etc but this has made me feel really uncomfortable. It was during the day and I’d only been on it for about 15 minutes. I wouldn’t plan to use it for more than half an hour a day. Surely if you buy a flat above garages you would realise there would be some noise? Just like I live in a terraced house, one side the neighbours have a treadmill and they use it for about 2 hours a day (couple both very into fitness) and whilst it can be annoying I accept they are entitled to use a treadmill in their home. So should I just carry on using it, should I stop or should I just face him out and say I’m not going to stop running on it? Maybe ask if there is a specific time he would like me to avoid but other than that use my own treadmill in my own garage?

The treadmill will be vibrating the walls and ceiling of the garage and the floor and walls of the flat above. In addition, the noise will be going directly into the flat - there probably isn’t full sound insulation since the garage isn’t living space and even if there was, it wouldn’t deal well with vibrations.

The treadmill is probably much, much louder than someone cutting grass at a distance which, apart from anything else is just noise not vibrations as well and can be reduced in volume by closing windows / moving to the other side of the house.

I think you should do what you can to minimise the noise.

I think you're being a bit melodramatic.

They haven't complained or asked you to stop, but want you to know that they can hear it so that you can be considerate about usage (not running at 2am thinking nobody can hear you). To me, they've done exactly the right thing.

I think it is probably a very loud and annoying noise but fine for half an hour or even an hour a day, at a reasonable hour.

I think you're reading too much into it. I would have assumed he meant it was noisy for a running machine, not that you shouldn't use it. Unless you're using it at a daft time, I'd ignore.
We live next door to DIY Dave. If he's not using his latest power tools at all hours of the day and night, he's smoking pot. So we either get the noise or the smell. I'd be more than happy with just half an hour of running machine noise instead.

I always read these neighbour threads with such envy. I have posted on here before about my neighbours whose constant shouting and screaming has reduced me to tears on some days, whose rubbish and flytipping blights my street and who are so noisy for hours on end that I cannot stand to be in the back of my house. I would be so happy to have to put up with the sound of a treadmill for an hour or so each day especially if the time was predictable, I would just put my headphones on and sit it out

Just ask if there is a time that won't disturb them? 30 mins a day isn't exactly asking much, I mean you could turn it into a fitness studio having music blaring at a billion decibels and be in there a good few hours...now that would give them something to complain about! My neighbours regularly complained about my sewing machine, but weirdly they couldn't hear it, if I had music on (or at least didn't complain when I had music on) so making my wedding dress I played a lot of house music😂

mean you could turn it into a fitness studio having music blaring at a billion decibels and be in there a good few hours...
Well, no. No she couldn't.

Could be worse. Your DC could be practising drums or whatever or someone doing diy could have a circular saw going all hours of the day. I would ignore them as long as you are only using it in daylight hours and not for hours at a time. We have neighbours blasting music in their garden on sunny days, dogs and babies and kids screaming which annoys me but I don't go round moaning about it all the time. People need to be more tolerant or move somewhere more quiet/rural if they don't want normal neighbour noise. I am not talking about anti social behaviour like rowdy parties and screaming all day or night which is obviously unacceptable.

The woman who lives above your garage is also your neighbour. Not sure about that distinction you're making TBH.

It will be noisier in your garage than it would in the house as there’s not much to muffle the noise. Could you
put some rubber matting underneath? And I’d keep it to daytime only

I think your neighbour is being very cheeky. Providing you don't use it more than, say, 2 hours a day and it's between 8am and approx 9pm I.dont see they can.complain. its normal living with people noise.

They are REALLY noisy. Can you put it on top of a carpet so it softens it a bit ?

As long as it's not antisocial hours keep using it

OP what are your reasons for not going outside for a run?
I'm not being goady, just wondering, as I am keen runner and might be able to advise.

This is a classic way of getting you to stop by making you feel inadequate. If he wants a noise free life tell him to move to the country side. The next time he says anything tell him you'll be done soon. Remember he can't do nothing to you YOU have done nothing wrong.

I think you're being quite selfish, TBH.

I live in a block of flats, so as much as I wanted to get a treadmill during lockdown, I didn't, as the noise would have made my downstairs neighbour miserable.

If you want a treadmill, you put it on the bottom floor of a house, using an anti-vibration mat. If you don't have a house, you don't get one.

In your case, you actually do have a house, so the answer seems really simple...

A garage isn't soundproofed for treadmill, so it doesn't create normal, acceptable noise. Move your treadmill and use your garage for a car or general storage.

Put the treadmill in your house, use it during the day and you're not doing anything wrong. The noise from a treadmill in a terraced house isn't going to be any worse than the sound of a washing machine, and that is acceptable neighbour noise.

(Unless you want to pay for expensive and potentially ineffective soundproofing measures to your garage to make it more akin to a room that gets used for people, not cars.)

Sorry - just seen you can't leave your kids.

Because I don’t mind being 10 metres away from my children in the garage but don’t want to go out and about for a run and leave them alone

The OP mentioned they have kids. Depending on their age, not wanting to run with them seems reasonable!

Just the treadmill is in the wrong place...

I’ve ordered an anti vibration mat and I’m going to speak to him tomorrow about it and let him know that and ask if there are particular times he would rather I avoided

There is no law against what she is doing and I loved in a flat as well. I used to exercise to Davina's workout video noone said nothing to me.

I think that's a great idea.

Enjoy your treadmill. Garages can be used for all sorts of activities ie spray painting (smell/noise) so don’t see any problem with a treadmill for reasonable amounts of time and not too early/late in the day.

I actually wouldn’t think a garage would be that noisy, as most people just use it as storage? The noise from a treadmill is horrendous- my dad used to have one and you’d hear thump thump thump as well as the mechanics and he was walking! I don’t know what to tell you, I totally get both sides and always hate when eg people are told not to use dryers at night etc because of noise as I think ‘I can see your point and would hate the noise , but it’s their home and they should get to dry their clothes!’

Thank you for all your replies. I’ll update tomorrow when I’ve spoken to him

I hope it all works out well as it was only 30 minutes of exercise. Don't let him bully you into stoping.