A perfect fit for a high spec life (Maidenhead, Berkshire)
1 May 2026Overview
Performance and practicality are important to Richard Bayley. He describes his wheelchair as ‘Ferrari-like’ enabling him to stand up, lean back and lie down. It weighs about 200kg – one of the heaviest powerchairs available. With such a high-spec vehicle, it is no surprise that Richard desired a fully accessible home to allow him to move around with ease.
Richard has quadriplegia because of a body surfing accident nearly seven years ago. He lives with his wife and full-time carers in Maidenhead and is midway through renovating his new home which features widened doorways, a wet room, a three-phase power supply – necessary when you have high-powered machinery or equipment – and a large-sized lift for first-floor access.
It is this lift that has expanded the spaces he can inhabit in his own home, making two-floor living a possibility and returning to him a level of privacy that his current residence does not allow. In his existing home nursing care takes place in the room next to the to the living spaces – something that Richard says is not ideal when his wife is entertaining guests.
Requirement
“Our original retirement plan was to downsize so we could spend half of the year in the UK and the other half in the Caribbean as I was born in Barbados and have connections there. Of course, then I had my accident so I couldn’t really make that trip so instead we had to upsize into this two-storey house which would work much better for us,” explains Richard.
“I’ve got a sort of Ferrari wheelchair that weighs about 200kg so with me that is 300kg and I must have a nurse in the lift with me so that puts us at about 400kg in total.”
With these specific weight requirements, Richard needed more than a standard wheelchair lift for his home.
“Gartec were the only ones that supplied a fairly large sized lift. I have a two by one metre space inside and 500kg weight allowance, so it is fairly specialised – it is not what people think of a wheelchair lift,” adds Richard. “I’d describe it as a lift you get in John Lewis.”
Why Aritco?
The Aritco HomeLift Access with the lengthened 1980mm platform is designed for specific residential settings, which made it a perfect fit for Richard as it can easily take the weight of him, his wheelchair and carer.
“It is unusual to have this type of lift in a home, but because of Richard’s bespoke requirements, it was the ideal choice,” says Matt Akerman, Gartec Home Sales Director. “It is incredibly reliable, energy efficient and can be installed with minimal building work.
“After listening to Richard and hearing what he wanted out of the lift, we were able to steer him towards a larger lift rather than some of our smaller models. His specifications were an increased lifting capacity, ample floor space for himself and a carer and flush access for ease of use. We have managed to achieve all of this so Richard has a fully accessible lift in his home.”
Installation
The lift was installed early in the renovation, enabling Richard to access the first floor and be directly involved in the planning of the upstairs while the building work is ongoing.
“We have used it every day,” says Richard. “Gartec were superstars. The installation went very smoothly. It went in remarkably quickly, in two or three days.”
Specification
Lift: Aritco HomeLift Access
Bespoke features: 1000 x 1980mm platform, increased capacity to 500kg
Technical details: Standard white RAL 9016, single swing glazed doors, light grey flooring, GSM connectivity
Reason for purchase: Power wheelchair plus resident and carer access to first floor
