Hi Tanya,
I am no expert in this matter but am building my own timberframe home and to be sure it is more expensive than traditional stick framing. Pricing is so variable in different areas.
I have seen the same numbers thrown around when I was planning my home. We are now getting ready to finish the enclosure in the next month so we are pretty far along. My advice would be to get a price from a local builder with his specifications for a stick built home. Then take that and talk to a timberframer to get a price for the frame part of it. Of course you can cut out some costs from the stick built home in the process. I am an owner builder so my home will be comparable to a stick built when I am done because I am saving on contractor costs and other labor costs which can be expensive. I have had to do a lot of extra work in the process to do price estimates, actual work on the project as well as find appropriate subcontractors etc. We have a large family which has helped a lot, (i.e. inexpensive labor) to reduce our costs. Hope this helps.
Haz
