You have "wear through" which is when the finish is pierced and the wood is exposed to the elements. The dark areas are where dirk/water/mud have stained the floor. It is possible to get this out... but probably not all the way. A floor that has wear through needs to be sanded right down, stained (if you wish) and then refinished. Patching can occur...but it is almost always a waste of time because the "look" can be very different from the original sitting right next to it. I don't recommend it for your situation. The second photo shows the deep scratching. Ideally, you would have had your floors looked after BEFORE wear-through occurs. There are some "regular" scratches to the Left in photo 2. You can see it is visible...but no discolouration....THAT is where you draw the line. The darker "wear through" to the Right in photo 2 = too late = full sand and refinish. If you catch it BEFORE wear-through, you can do a "buff and coat". This is a light sanding with a few coats of high end finish over top. The buff and coat is roughly half the price (in Canada at least) as a full sand/refinish. For this reason it is important to catch the floors before you get to this level of scratching.. That being said, you now get to pick some stains (test patch, test patch, test patch). The first photo shows two different woods...you could ask to see if the lighter would could be matched to the darker wood (lots of testing to achieve this). It won't be pefect...but then again you wouldn't have used reclaimed building materials if you were after "perfect". The match can lessen the colour variation to a more manageable (design wise) level. As for "good for dogs" - natural colour of wood = best colour for scratches. A lower gloss (like a satin) can help. You can ask for the "best" finish with scratch resistance that comes in a can. You will pay a premium for it...but it could/should save you thousands of dollars over the long run. A highend, scratch resistant finish means you can get away with the cheaper buff and coats (every 7-12 years...or so) and be able to retain the original (expensive) finish for the full 25 years. The other thing to note: dogs claws require trimming 2-4 PER MONTH when working with hardwoods. This is what the hardwood flooring refers to as "routine" trimming. Some of my clients thought "2-3 PER YEAR" was "routine". I laughed. You have heavy, high energy, powerful dogs. A single lab can cause some damage over time. Two labs can do a number on a floor. Three labs and you have a very short lived hardwood finish. You have 7. I would find the most expensive, scratch resistant finish available in Australia. I would have the maximum amount of finished put your floors (you will pay extra) it and I would budget for a "buff and coat" every 5-7 years.

Excuse my duh-ness but i'm having difficulty trying to follow whats going on here. Are these two photos an exact replica of your house and pool ? If not a hasty sketch with dimensions could help a lot. By kitchen wall do you mean the wall behind the bar ? And where is the pool wall ? Are you considering the covered area as being "inside" ? Sorry for all those questions lol Sometimes when you have a design problem you need to turn it inside out or on it's head. If you can't beat it maybe embrace it by making a feature of it : i.e. contrast by having the lightest colored pool surround and a great blue or tile inside and under the overhang, something that will echo the water color ? If you have a great covered area as in photo you'll most likely be spending a lot of time there and it could be soothing to be able to sometimes retire into a darker inside. In my book, 10M isn't small and also contrasting two floor colors doesn't necessarily make a space seem smaller and confined and may in fact even open it up. Could it be that you've thought yourself into a box here ? Sometimes one needs to give it all a good shake up and see how it resettles.

Unless buying custom manufactured wood cabinets, you are buying a series of boxes. A 100k euro kitchen installation of an Italian kitchen is one example from my portfolio. Differences are found in the hardware, the door/drawer pulls, weight of doors and exterior finishes. It is about the design, first. In our region, you can knock off 1200-2000 just be sticking with a full depth fridge--but it is design that will make it possible to install full depth and get a counter depth effect. In the Garden Oaks Fine Accommodation residential display suite I needed to prove that a high-end design can be executed for less. Again, it is design that does the trick. The owner of the kitchen above loves the pendants over the breakfast counter. I did not have the heart to reveal the price--$19 each. That owner likes/needs bling so the 14k euro chandeliers (2) in the foyer are a feature. But we get more comments on our pendants--because they are integral to the overall design. Real estate agents have pegged this kitchen at anywhere from 45-75k. It cost under 30k. DYI projects offer the opportunity to take the time that you might not otherwise allow to a designer (hence our need to come equipped with knowledge, contacts and suppliers that augment our services). I recommend drawing from images (Houzz is great for that) to start, then researching suppliers, collecting specs, and developing a document that covers all aspects of the kitchen from lifestyle needs to style to comparisons of product reviews. Whittle it down to an instruction for purchase and installation. Consider challenges such as the dreadful corner cabinet turntable and splurge on solutions that make your design truly functional. You'll appreciate the expense that delivers practical functionality. There are remarkable solutions for the corner cabinet--but my fav is to determine whether that space can become storage (cabinet or drawers) in an adjoining room. When not practical, articulated pull-out stainless shelves are functional--and cool. Undermounted sinks are great for clean-line counters. Well placed recessed lighting (design again) eliminates the need for other fixtures--and allows you free rein to purchase for focal point impact or (my preference) to fit seamlesly into the overall look. Enjoy the journey--have fun!

I read an interesting comment somewhere, where a lady invited a group of her friends over to lovingly point out all the problems they saw (through fresh eyes) with her home on preparation for sale. She said she was surprised at marks and damage that she had lived with for so long she no longer noticed them. We "owner built" a home previously, and when we came to sell 7 years later, we painted the garage and did those jobs that we had put off, and it became sad to finally see her at her best, at the end, when we could have been living in a completely finished home all that time. I read about a lady who decluttered her home, had it professionally cleaned (build clean, or bond clean) and had a professional styler do her home and she realised just how nice it could be and decided not to sell. :) ta