My take would be ask the supermarket how much they are going to pay to rent the path for the duration, Share it with your neighbours. I would suggest starting around £10,000. They would have already greased some palms down in Planning so they can afford it. Just remember, when your local shops...
throw the pallets away and buy some decent wood, The time it will take to do what you want will more than be saved, At the end of the day, without a lot of prep it will still look like a desk made of old pallets.
for what you need, Just knock up some compo and trowel it in. That's what happens where I work and we drive 5 ton forklifts over it! (lasts about two days, but your daughter isn't going to be that heavy)
bit harsh johnD but in essence I'm in agreement. I had the same problem. I put an inner frame inside the hole, nailed some plasterboard on it, THEN called a plasterer who skimmed the whole ceiling, including the artex. made a lovely smooth job which I then painted.
I had Alligator when I went to Florida. I wanted to say I had eaten it, before It ate me! Tasted of fish because it was Farmed and that's what they fed them on. Gatorland