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?

I was responding to your point that this is what they were designed for 🤪

She already said she doesn't want to leave the kids

But I didn’t say just driving in and out! Vehicle maintenance is a huge par part of garage ownership.

Yanbu x

You sound like a push over he doesn't want you in there at all that would be his perfect world. You are not being unreasonable but if you think 30 minutes on a treadmill is unreasonable give him what he wants and stop doing exercising. Your neighbour is not your friend and you owe him nothing. What's your husband like is he like you?

Don't use the treadmill for a week, borrow a motorbike and rev that everyday for a couple of hours a day as that's correct use in a garage.

Go back to using treadmill.

Or just skip the motorbike bit and ask them if that's what they would prefer, eg you couldn't decide what to get but thought the treadmill would be quieter.

Bizarre post. Not half as funny as you probably imagined.

@Oldhag5 I've never heard anything about treadmills being noisy before so that's news to me! I'm actually thinking of buying one... how noisy are we talking here as in what level of noise would you compare it to?

But why not, it’s a garage not a library

It's odd to me that people would NOT expect a garage to be noisy. I lived in a row of townhouses before and one of my neighbors used their garage for their band to practice in. Another used it for parties. Still another grew weed in theirs and always wanted to show me the progress. (It's legal here.)

The one next door had their mother and teenage sister living in their garage so they were always coming and going and watching TV and talking and eating with the door open etc. Another fixed cars in it and often played loud thumping music while they did so. I've had/used a treadmill in my garage and another neighbor had a whole home gym set up in his and gave personal training sessions there.

I really thought all of this was normal. To me a garage is part of a house and who am I to say what people can use their own houses for? If I lived above a garage I would certainly expect some noise to come from it. (I would never choose to live above a garage though.)

I'm American so maybe there are different expectations. We seem to value our own property rights whereas Brits seem to be super nice and polite and neighborly. Also most people here can't afford to only use their garage to park cars in unless they're rich. Most normal-earning people here who can even afford to have a house with a garage, which is kind of rare in some.places, use the garage as extra living space rather than just as a place to always park their car(s).

Maybe not to you. I found it hilarious and true.

Exactly. To me a treadmill is one of the quietest things I could imagine happening in a garage.

YABU.

Aww that's such a shame you've been made to feel uncomfortable using your treadmill. If it's only for 30min max a day that's really nothing to be complaining about. We have one and it's used twice a day. I hardly notice my partner using it through the back and vice versa. We also sometimes go on it once our 6yr old
and 3 yr old are sleeping and it doesn't wake them up. The older child's bed is on the wall right next to the treadmill in the spare room and he doesn't wake at all 😲 so it can't be that bad 😆

You need to live here to understand people will smile to your face and then slag you off behind your back. You have to live here to understand you have to fight to protect your castle people want to dictate what you do in your space. My daughter was playing K-pop in the garden and dancing our neighbour made a proper fuss about it she got cussed. Then I played my music after that she wouldn't dare tell me what to do. She has never spoken to us since.

Anyone with sense told us to tell them next time to f Off.

Chances are the neighbour came down because he wondered what on earth that unfamiliar noise was and thought he should check. His comment might have just been an observation. He didn't object and went away, right? Maybe you can do it when he isn't home. Or have it inside. If it's on the side of the neighbours you have who are on the treadmill for two hours a day, fair's fair.

Playing music in the garden is inconsiderate though.

Who exactly "got cussed"?

The use of 'she' in that sentence doesn't make it clear if it was the neighbour or daughter who 'got cussed'. Cussing someone isn't cool either, but that doesn't change that playing music in the garden is always inconsiderate.

I'm not arguing that. It sounds as if op "cussed" the neighbour, and was encouraged by her friends to be even more aggressive if the neighbour objected again. Charmer indeed.

That sounds most likely. With ear buds and things these days, there's no reason for music to be played loudly in gardens.

I imagine it’s pretty noisy and I’d say falls outside the expected use of a garage. I’d be annoyed if I were the neighbour. Especially as it’s not a give and take situation as he has no chance to experience take from your side. You’re talking about it being good for your mental health as a justification for doing something bad for your neighbour’s mental health. Go running outside instead.

bad for her neighbour's mental health? because anything that irritates us is now bad for out mental health? it's half an hour out of an entire day. get a grip.

people should become a Trappist monk if they want 24 hr silence.

Yanbu she is not underneath you

I’m very confused by this.. maybe my treadmill is “special” (don’t think so) but treadmills aren’t that noisy??
I do mostly walk in it and don’t go above 5 speed (so probably that’s what it is lol)

PLENTY of people have converted their garages into home gyms and there’s more machinery than one treadmill.

Personally I’d ask if there’s a specific time they’d like me to avoid, other than that they can shove it.