I might suggest putting it in the bedroom--few people are in their bedrooms in the early evening, so you'd probably cut down on the problem. And it would certainly make you look as though you're willing to try to do something. One thing I've found: people who get used to lots of quiet find themselves really shocked when noise does arrive. So if she's home all day when you're at work, ANY noise you make is going to seem as though you're extra loud. Dreamgarden mentioned vacuuming--but I had a situation in which my downstairs neighbor went BALLISTIC when I vacuumed. We had a toddler, and we were almost never home, and I hadn't vacuumed in literally months. We left for work before 8am (her in tow). We came home about 7pm, immediately ate, and put her directly in to bed. So I had very little time to vacuum (our place is small enough, I couldn't vacuum when she was sleeping. Then, we were away on the weekends a LOT, so I didn't vacuum. One Friday night we got home at 7:30, and had already eaten. I grabbed my opportunity to vacuum, sand suddenly he was banging on the ceiling (using his oars, since the ceilings are 9.5 feet). Because it had been SO long since we'd vacuumed, he felt we were too loud. Then, the lady upstairs from me was very old and ill. And then she died and the place sat empty. After about a year, someone started taking care of the place, vacuuming weekly. It sounded so loud, and it was really intrusive. I realized that was because the upstairs neighbor had seldom (or never) vacuumed, or if she did, she did it midday when we weren't around. So if you can do something conciliatory, then you maybe can just give her time to get used to it. There are pads for exercise equipment. i think that would be good if you can afford it. http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/vibrationpads.htm http://www.customrubbercorp.com/l_pads.htm?referrer=adwords&keyword=vibration_pad

We have a treadmill upstairs in a carpeted room, but got some big thick black rubber mats with perforations at Home Depot and laid them all under it. They are fairly attractive for what they are. Do you have to keep the floor bare because of the dogs and potential 'accidents'? Otherwise, could you put an inoffensive outdoor carpet down? We got some of that acoustical material online in our last house for a sleeping room that we wanted to keep real quiet during neighborhood parties, and frankly it didn't work worth beans. Maybe we didn't install it correctly, or maybe it wasn't good material. I'd be very careful to make sure you're getting the genuine thing.

A book with beautiful photographs that might help you to get off the "decorating treadmill" is No Compromise Decorating by Lynette Jennings (2004). It is an insightful look into the decorating mistake many of us make: compromising what we really want for a trend or a quick fix. Here is an excerpt: "Always celebrate the connection of your home to your life; don't apologize for it, and don't compromise. Home isn't a look, it's a feeling. A place where memories are made and legacies are formed. That said, why would we for one second hesitate to make choices based on anything but what our heart desires? Why would we even for an inkling be distracted by a new product display, a neighbor's comment, or a 'dream home' featured on TV or in a magazine other than for the inspiration it provides? Call it conviction, stubbornness, determination. To eliminate the pressure. The fear of decision. To dig for the courage to live how and with what makes us happy. That's decorating without compromise." Life is too short to compromise. Surround yourself with colors and objects that bring YOU joy.

I'd put the treadmill right alongside the window with the front of it facing the tiled wall. Then I'd lower the desk to its lowest position, and I'd install a rod holder on each wall, then make a curtain which can be put on a rod, which then sits in the rod holders, drawing the curtain across the area, hiding the treadmill behind it but leaving enough window there for viewing and the lights, etc. This would also give you extra wall space, i.e.: the curtain, for when you have guests, for extra seating or a table. Rather than move a treadmill ever time you have guests, just take the rod with the curtain on it out of a closet and put it up. You also, with this arrangement, have to know how the light streams into that area since you don't want glare hitting the computer screen while you're on the treadmill.