i made a mod. if anyone is interested, here's a download link =)

http://members.inode.at/405191/ctw_LRM.rar

the readme:
=========

LRM (letsdances rebalance mod) v20161202 for craft the world v1.3.004 (with sisters in arms dlc, but should also work without).

installation:
find craft the world install directory, extract main.pak (i use winrar but zip or anything similar should also work) in install directory. this creates subfolders like /data
move main.pak elsewhere or rename it (otherwise the game will still use main.pak and ignore the extracted files).
note: this won't break anything, it actually makes the game load a bit faster.
copy the LRM files into the data directory, overwriting existing files (your renamed or moved main.pak is your backup)
uninstall: move main.pak back into the craft the world directory (or rename it back to main.pak). you can then delete the extracted folders, but don't have to.

compatibility:
savegames will work when switching to and from LRM but can result in techs/recipes being available out of order.
should be compatible with older versions
can be used partially: only copy those files that you want

changes:
general tech tree rebalancing, focus on better overview and less tedious research "just to get it done". changed some item costs.
make it again a bit harder to get max comfort
changed some item comfort levels (most notably removed comfort from steel ladders and pet houses), max comfort from any one item = 10
added comfort to some lamps that didn't have it
changed some items to produce only 1 per craft (especially lights and windows), making them decomposable and multiple crafts more desireable
moved items in tech tree so that better comfort items are available later and weaker comfort items are available earlier
moved firearms to the end of the (underground) tech tree
added coins recipe from sulfur
removed log bridge and made wood bridge available instead
railroad, elevator and soul keeper available earlier
miners lamp can now be placed instantly (as the description suggests) but needs a dwarf to be removed. breaks if not placed on ground. reduced light radius.
moved some decorative items (like columns) to the end of the tech tree
wood staff moved back to expert weapons but increased range (and cheaper to buy now in store!)
reduced speed penalty from armor
reduced many items prices in shop, rebalanced skill book prices
skill boost items for non-combat non-climbing skills give higher bonus
dwarves are more cautious when fighting and go to sleep earlier
slightly increased health gain bonus from better beds
tea and beer produce more items per craft
reduced items from rat nests
dragons drop a dragon egg
reduced damage from orc skeletons, cave goblins and frostling archers
added item loot to orcs and orc skeletons
significantly increased hitpoints of portal guards (50% or 100%, not sure which is the correct entry)
many more small tweaks...

todo: find out if fountain spawns animals

edit: maybe the creatures.xml doesn't work without the DLC. in that case, just don't copy that file (it holds the changes to dwarves and monsters)

The disposable idea is interesting. Will have to check it out.