The good thing about timberframing is if you have the skill and patience, you can produce a frame yourself. You trade your labor for less cost(than if you paid someone to do the same). You're small? I've seen other small guys and gals doing timberframing. Use leverage and whatever you have to in order to avoid heavy lifting. You have to have some strength to turn timbers and slide them, but worst case, you have have a helper. If you trade your labor for cost, then yes you can build a timberframe cheaper than you can buy one or buy a conventional house. You need time though if it's just you doing the work. You also don't need 20 people for a raising, maybe 5 can do what you are talking about. And hire a crane for the raising to do the heavy lifting.
I choose timberframing because it's a creative outlet for me, I get more home (or workshop) by doing the work myself, I get a higher quality product because I make it so, it goes up fast once the frame is ready.
If you have any serious interest in timberframing or doing it yourself, take one of the 5 or 6 day workshops. There are a number of good ones out there. You don't have to have any carpentry experience (though it doesn't hurt to have some experience and be comfortable with power tools and hand tools). The students in the class I went to were men and women from all walks of life, some haveing woodworking experience, some construction experience, some NO experience. And by the end all had the same timberframe skills and could do what is needed. Many go on to build their own after a workshop like that. You would also learn what to look for if having someone else do the work, learn about design and options. It's good to attend a workshop whether you plan to build or have it built.
