Treadmill in first floor apartment

Ruth2

Hi
I own a first floor apartment and allowed the girl I am renting a room to, purchase a threadmill as long as she put it in her bedroom. The threadmill was purchased and is being used for about 40 mins every day at a good walking pace. I didn't think there would be so much noise from it and after getting a complaint from a downstairs neighbour I asked her if she would only use it before 8pm if the people downstairs were in their apt. That seems to be ok only now I'm wondering if it will affect the floorboards/floor structure as I notice squeaking noises in my room when I walk across the floor that didn't seem to be there before. Has anybody out there had any similar issues? Would a washing machine not have the same effect on floorboards? Thanks

TheDriver

Some of the threadmills do make a lot of noise and impact on floors whereas washing machines vibrate but don't move vertically etc.
I don't know what other people think?

Zamboni

Too many variables to compare.
Depends on the girls weight, the quality of the treadmill, the weight of the treadmill, the construction of the apartments, flooring etc.

I'd hazard a guess and say it should be fine.
I don't see how it could affect floorboards in a separate room.

Ps: No h in treadmill

Jarren

This should help

http://www.amazon.co.uk/York-Fitness-6700-Interlocking-Floor/dp/B000N3T0Z0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331565869&sr=8-3

djimi

I have to say based on my experience of treadmills from being in the gym I would lose the plot of I had to live beneath someone who is using one. If its an issue at walking pace then you can be sure your neighbours will kick up a fuss again if she starts to use it for jogging/running.

listermint

Anywhere else to put it? maybe it could be communal use or something to get away from the upstairs noise?

i wouldnt be a fan of putting a thread mill on anything but a concrete underfloor. For my any standard timber construction in this country will have a negative impact with a threadmill on it.

Ruth2

Folks thanks a million for the replies. The floors are concrete but I presumed that ithe concrete is lying on wooden boards? I am going to get a mat for it to go on as they are supposed to reduce noise, impact on floors and protect the carpet. My downstairs neighbour seems ok with it as it isn't used after 8pm when her daughter goes to bed. Thanks for the spelling correction too:D

Ruth2

P.S I live in a first floor apt and there is no where to leave it for communal use.

Kaner2004

Ruth2 wrote: »

Hi
I own a first floor apartment and allowed the girl I am renting a room to, purchase a threadmill as long as she put it in her bedroom. The threadmill was purchased and is being used for about 40 mins every day at a good walking pace. I didn't think there would be so much noise from it and after getting a complaint from a downstairs neighbour I asked her if she would only use it before 8pm if the people downstairs were in their apt. That seems to be ok only now I'm wondering if it will affect the floorboards/floor structure as I notice squeaking noises in my room when I walk across the floor that didn't seem to be there before. Has anybody out there had any similar issues? Would a washing machine not have the same effect on floorboards? Thanks

Im pretty sure there is going to be impact damage caused by continuous use.
Dont wait until you start to see cracks in your walls and floors and the below neighbors ceilings and walls (you'll be the one who has to pay for this if it). Apartments are not designed for treadmills.

Senna

You can buy rubber mats for under treadmill, they reduce noise and vibrations.
If the treadmill is only used for walking, it may help a lot.

Kaner2004

Senna wrote: »

You can buy rubber mats for under treadmill, they reduce noise and vibrations.
If the treadmill is only used for walking, it may help a lot.

.

these mats will not prevent impact damage. also they must be used on a solid foundation.

heres a little test for the op to do. stand in the center of the room. jump about 6 inches. when you land is any of the room still vibrating. if it is your floor is not supported enough for this abuse.
wait til you have an insurance claim for an structural damage and the assesor finds the treadmill. they wont pay up. ring them and ask them about the situation if you want to hear it from the horses mouth.

Idbatterim

if the floor is concrete, i doubt the weight of the threadmill is too considerable and weight would be dispersed over a largeish area, you need something to custion the blow, maybe a rubber mat or a rug / carpet or underlay...

bouncebouncey

djimi wrote: »

I have to say based on my experience of treadmills from being in the gym I would lose the plot of I had to live beneath someone who is using one. If its an issue at walking pace then you can be sure your neighbours will kick up a fuss again if she starts to use it for jogging/running.

Well tough tits I'm afraid. In most apartment complexes you can make a reasonable amount of noise between X am and X pm. If the treadmill is being used for 40 minutes and not after the hours assigned by the lease/management company/both then there is no issue in that regard. The neighbours haven't a leg to stand on.

I also doubt it will cause an issue with your flooring. The combined weight, vibration and impact of the treadmill would have to be massive to be impacting other rooms surfaces with squeaking etc..

aN.Droid

bouncebouncey wrote: »

Well tough tits I'm afraid. In most apartment complexes you can make a reasonable amount of noise between X am and X pm. If the treadmill is being used for 40 minutes and not after the hours assigned by the lease/management company/both then there is no issue in that regard. The neighbours haven't a leg to stand on.

I also doubt it will cause an issue with your flooring. The combined weight, vibration and impact of the treadmill would have to be massive to be impacting other rooms surfaces with squeaking etc..

Not something you want to get into, if I were in the shoes of the neighbor I would make sure to respond with 2x the amount of noise and for 5x longer until it ended.

Del2005

Limericks wrote: »

Not something you want to get into, if I were in the shoes of the neighbor I would make sure to respond with 2x the amount of noise and for 5x longer until it ended.

The neighbour is already sorted, they where having trouble getting their child to sleep, as the OP has agreed it will only be used before 8pm.

If someone, who isn't morbidity obese, running on a treadmill damages the concrete floor or the structural integratory of the building, the building has bigger issues than the treadmill.

bouncebouncey

Limericks wrote: »

Not something you want to get into, if I were in the shoes of the neighbor I would make sure to respond with 2x the amount of noise and for 5x longer until it ended.

Not something you want to get into?

Fair use of, what is now, a pretty standard machine for less than an hour a day well within the guidelines and rules of 99% of most complexes is now wrong is it?

What's the problem here? It's not nuisance noise. It's not after hours. It's not endless. It's a person on a treadmill trying to keep in shape/shed a few lbs/both. It's not anti social behaviour ffs. Washing machines, crying babies, loud tv's etc.. make as much noise as a treadmill at walking speed.

The person is entitled to use it in the hours designated. And I should add that they are being more than reasonable when they agree to limit themselves to using it before 8pm. Very civilised and I applaud that but not something they would be required to do.

The idea of making twice as much noise for five times as long when the person has done nothing wrong is completely juvenile.

jmayo

Ruth2 wrote: »

Folks thanks a million for the replies. The floors are concrete but I presumed that ithe concrete is lying on wooden boards?

You mean the other way around.
Wooden floors would be laid on the reinforced concrete floors.

I know if the floor was wooden as in a normal house then there is no way in hell I would have a treadmill upstairs as it just will put too much pressure on the joists.
You could end up with the floor dropping and then having to brace the floor to a wall or put in supporting joists and pull the floor back up.

Ruth2 wrote: »

I am going to get a mat for it to go on as they are supposed to reduce noise, impact on floors and protect the carpet. My downstairs neighbour seems ok with it as it isn't used after 8pm when her daughter goes to bed. Thanks for the spelling correction too:D

Even pounding on a concrete floor can come through.
I am not sure how good the mats are for reducing noise, afaik they are really to protect the floor covering.

MagicMarker

I don't see how someone walking on a treadmill is going to cause impact damage unless your apartment is made of egg shells.

djimi

bouncebouncey wrote: »

Well tough tits I'm afraid. In most apartment complexes you can make a reasonable amount of noise between X am and X pm. If the treadmill is being used for 40 minutes and not after the hours assigned by the lease/management company/both then there is no issue in that regard. The neighbours haven't a leg to stand on.

I also doubt it will cause an issue with your flooring. The combined weight, vibration and impact of the treadmill would have to be massive to be impacting other rooms surfaces with squeaking etc..

The kind of treadmill Im used to using does not generate a reasonable amount of noise; not if someone is actually running on it. Put yourself in the shoes of the neighbour below; should they have to endure an hour of someone pounding away on their ceiling, regardless of the time of day?

It depends on the type of treadmill and how well the building is built, but I can only speak from my experience and in my building it would be a problem.

mikemac1

Spent a few weeks in a hotel due to work and the gym was just some equipment in a room and right above my hotel room

A threadmill can generate a series amount of noise and thumping on your ceiling.

The neighbours seem pretty calm and are probably a bit more patient then I would be.
The eight pm cut-off sounds ok. I don't see any arguments here so it all seems in hand

It should not cause damage to your property OP.
If it does then it wasn't the threadmill that was at fault, it was the whole complex and building standards

bouncebouncey

djimi wrote: »

The kind of treadmill Im used to using does not generate a reasonable amount of noise; not if someone is actually running on it. Put yourself in the shoes of the neighbour below; should they have to endure an hour of someone pounding away on their ceiling, regardless of the time of day?

It depends on the type of treadmill and how well the building is built, but I can only speak from my experience and in my building it would be a problem.

Whatever your opinion on what you deem to be too excessive or a problem in your eyes, this kind of use is allowed under in the vast majority of complexes.

So should they have to endure an hour of someone pounding away on a treadmill. Yes they should. No breach of rules, no problem. If they don't like it they can move somewhere else.

It's no less unfair than having to listen to a baby scream it's lungs out at all hours of the day and night.

djimi

bouncebouncey wrote: »

Whatever your opinion on what you deem to be too excessive or a problem in your eyes, this kind of use is allowed under in the vast majority of complexes.

So should they have to endure an hour of someone pounding away on a treadmill. Yes they should. No breach of rules, no problem. If they don't like it they can move somewhere else.

It's no less unfair than having to listen to a baby scream it's lungs out at all hours of the day and night.

Its not what I deem to be excessive; its what is actually excessive. If there is moderate or little noise then its not a problem. However if it sounds like someone is pounding repeatedly on the ceiling above for a prolonged period of time then it will be a problem, and whether or not treadmills are expressly forbidden I can see it becoming a problem if the neighbour complains enough to the management company.

P. Breathnach

djimi wrote: »

...I can see it becoming a problem if the neighbour complains enough to the management company.

I'd set a lower threshold: I'd see it as a problem if I made a neighbour unhappy through doing something that I did not actually need to do.

bouncebouncey

djimi wrote: »

Its not what I deem to be excessive; its what is actually excessive. If there is moderate or little noise then its not a problem. However if it sounds like someone is pounding repeatedly on the ceiling above for a prolonged period of time then it will be a problem, and whether or not treadmills are expressly forbidden I can see it becoming a problem if the neighbour complains enough to the management company.

It is what you deem to be excessive. And it is what you perceive to be a problem

It's not about whether or not treadmills are expressly forbidden. It's about the fact that in 99% of cases you are allowed make noise in your apartment up until a certain cut off time. Usually 11pm - 8am or 12 midnight - 9am are the hours you are obliged to quell all noise from your premises.

The neighbour can complain all they want it won't get them anywhere. If the person isn't in breach of the management company rules, and the 'disturbance' reported is from use of a piece of gym equipment then the management company haven't a leg to stand on to act on this. And even if they try to no district court will rule in their favour in such an open and shut case.

If the landlord or management company tried to evict the tenant over this it would be they who leave themselves wide open to being absolutely slaughtered in court.

The point of this is that it isn't a matter of opinion. It's a matter of adherence to a set of rules imposed in a lease agreement and a management company policy.

Whether or not you think its fair is irrelevant. Neighbours don't get to dictate the terms of how their fellow residents live. The rules are there in black and white. The 8pm agreed cut off time is a courtesy extended by the person in question that they were under no obligation to make.

All this is assuming that it's a standard set of management company rules/lease agreement on my part by the way. If there is some particularly whacky set of rules/lease agreement it would be a game changer.

djimi

bouncebouncey wrote: »

It's not about whether or not treadmills are expressly forbidden. It's about the fact that in 99% of cases you are allowed make noise in your apartment up until a certain cut off time. Usually 11pm - 8am or 12 midnight - 9am are the hours you are obliged to quell all noise from your premises.

Why are you finding it so hard to grasp the difference I am trying to get across between making reasonable noise and creating excessive noise? You can make a reasonable amount of noise between the set times, however I dont see how something that is going to potentially cause a loud pounding on the neighbours ceiling would be considered to be reasonable, no matter what time of the day it is happening.

Del2005

djimi wrote: »

Its not what I deem to be excessive; its what is actually excessive. If there is moderate or little noise then its not a problem. However if it sounds like someone is pounding repeatedly on the ceiling above for a prolonged period of time then it will be a problem, and whether or not treadmills are expressly forbidden I can see it becoming a problem if the neighbour complains enough to the management company.

I think the thread title is misleading people here. From my reading the actual complaint was noise when the neighbours child was trying to sleep, not the fact that the person was running on a threadmil as the 8pm cut off has resolved the issue.

bouncebouncey

djimi wrote: »

Why are you finding it so hard to grasp the difference I am trying to get across between making reasonable noise and creating excessive noise? You can make a reasonable amount of noise between the set times, however I dont see how something that is going to potentially cause a loud pounding on the neighbours ceiling would be considered to be reasonable, no matter what time of the day it is happening.

I don't find anything hard to grasp. What you can't get your head around is that you aren't the arbiter of what is reasonable and what is excessive.

You might not see the use of the treadmill being considered reasonable. However, and I can tell you this for a fact, that usage of a treadmill, within the set hours you are allowed to make noise, is perfectly reasonable and will be seen as such by almost every management company in the land.

It's really that simple. You don't get to say what you think is the border between reasonable and excessive. I don't get to say what the border between reasonable and excessive. The rules are there in black and white. And unless there is something expressly forbidding the use of a treadmill/gym equipment in the lease agreement then the person in question can use it to their hearts desire in the hours designated.

Genuine noise complaints are really hard to get sorted out nevermind something as wishy washy as this one.

Again unless treadmills are forbidden then there is nothing excessive or unreasonable about using one. It's that simple.

djimi

bouncebouncey wrote: »

I don't find anything hard to grasp. What you can't get your head around is that you aren't the arbiter of what is reasonable and what is excessive.

You might not see the use of the treadmill being considered reasonable. However, and I can tell you this for a fact, that usage of a treadmill, within the set hours you are allowed to make noise, is perfectly reasonable and will be seen as such by almost every management company in the land.

It's really that simple. You don't get to say what you think is the border between reasonable and excessive. I don't get to say what the border between reasonable and excessive. The rules are there in black and white. And unless there is something expressly forbidding the use of a treadmill/gym equipment in the lease agreement then the person in question can use it to their hearts desire in the hours designated.

Genuine noise complaints are really hard to get sorted out nevermind something as wishy washy as this one.

Again unless treadmills are forbidden then there is nothing excessive or unreasonable about using one. It's that simple.

Its not expressely written in my lease or the management rules that I cant use a jackhammer on the floor of my apartment; would you consider this to be reasonable noise that would be permitted?

If its disruptive then its unreasonable. In certain buildings (maybe not yours but there are plenty of poorly built apartment buildings in this country) using a treadmill in an upstairs apartment would create disruptive and excessive noise; by most peoples standards, not just mine.

There isnt much point continuing this; may as well agree to disagree.

Kaner2004

OP, I'm only trying to save you some trouble down the line, but I guess you wont be told. You already know what you want to believe.
If you dont believe me, talk to a qualified structural engineer about the damage this will cause. I am one, but i dont expect you to believe I am one, so find one you know and ask them.

And regarding the noise. I doubt your neighbor below is the only one who can hear it. Its nice to be nice.

bouncebouncey

djimi wrote: »

Its not expressely written in my lease or the management rules that I cant use a jackhammer on the floor of my apartment; would you consider this to be reasonable noise that would be permitted?

If its disruptive then its unreasonable. In certain buildings (maybe not yours but there are plenty of poorly built apartment buildings in this country) using a treadmill in an upstairs apartment would create disruptive and excessive noise; by most peoples standards, not just mine.

There isnt much point continuing this; may as well agree to disagree.

A jackhammer isn't a commonly owned piece of personal exercise equipment. It's a piece of construction machinery. That's where there is a difference. It would still have to go to the District Court and they would, in the case of a jackhammer, no doubt rule it was excessive.

The same cannot be said of a treadmill. Whether you like it or not. Whether you agree or not. That's a fact. I've worked for companies that manage properties. It's just a fact.

The point of me posting wasn't to disagree with you or have a row. It's because people may look at this thread in future and think 'wow it's unreasonable to use a treadmill in my own apartment' when legally and within the rules of 99% of management companies it's perfectly okay.

Using a treadmill in your apartment within designated hours and within the terms of your lease agreement will never be viewed as excessive noise in 99% of cases

djimi

bouncebouncey wrote: »

Using a treadmill in your apartment within designated hours and within the terms of your lease agreement will never be viewed as excessive noise in 99% of cases

Never seems very general to me, but seeing as you seem to know the structural makeup of every apartment building in the country Ill have to accept your opinion as correct.