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carbon fibre is a very high performance material.
it has a very high stiffness to strength ratio. ideal for situations where weight savings is critical. (race cars, race bycicles, boeing 787). it is not a material for a casual user.
fibreglass has many similar properties, just not as extreme.
honestly its not worth 10x the price just for 10% improvement in performance (stiffness or weight), especially if this is your first big project and there is liable to be some wastage of materials and other excesses.
other materials that are light and stiff include wood (however you will need to pay attention to waterproofing)
also any composite panels (ie. honey comb) are good. these can be pre made or simply like the 2" foam insulation boards with a layer of fiberglass.
aluminum is a metal that is also light and is easy to work with. (drilling,cutting) however it is difficult to weld (requires TIG welding) whereas steel is harder to cut and drill, but any chimp (like myself) can stick/MIG weld it together. A good place to use it is as sheets for the exterier skin.
if you do use any steel make sure it is either stainless (harder than normal steel to cut n weld) or is painted in any exposed locations.
Steel can be a viable material to frame with because it is so strong (mild steel is twice as strong as most structural aluminum, but it is 3 times as heavy) and you won't need to use much.
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