The "Mill Valley" vanity that j222b posted is a great example of a custom-made reclaimed-wood vanity. I really love the look! I don't know of anyone in your neck of the woods who is manufacturing reclaimed wood vanities, so you might consider asking a local cabinetmaker for a quote. The simpler the style, the lower your cost will be.

I emailed strata and was advised to notify my nearby neighbors about the resurfacing coz there’s a bit of sound. No approval required. Btw you do need to conduct an asbetos test before the team can commence work. The company recommended a lab in Brisbane that you send the samples in double zip lock bags, express post. Took 24-48hrs for lab to send me the report in pdf. I then forwarded that to Ceiling Resurfacing so they know which technique they’ll gonna do.

Declaration - I am a rug business owner. The pros for having a rug - subfloor protection, noise suppression and atmosphere outweigh the cons - scratched floors (we all have a friend who comes for dinner and tips on their chair) noise (my kids constantly scrape the chairs) and cold bare atmosphere. Rugs complete rooms. Maybe the issue with young kids who are messy eaters could be the only reason you hold back. The issue relating to timber fading is another matter - timber floors darken with UV exposure, so your rug should always be moved around to make sure the fade lines are not obvious. Even if it just 10cm here and there to mix up the exposed area.

Thanks for response, great website I can see myself wanting to spend too much time on there :) I'm thinking of having a crack myself now as brother in law has a drop saw and said he can give me a hand. If it's a total disaster then I might look to a site like that but probably can't afford it. I was thinking a carpenter could knock it up quickly from scraps rather than an artisan but perhaps too specialised.