I think you either go the heavy armor route, or the light armor route. You're obviously going the heavy armor route. I'm going the light armor route myself (elven -> glass) because I play a stealthy rogue.
Advanced Armors allow you to create alternative armor that is cheaper than their counterparts.
The perk Advanced Armor only allows scale and plate made of steel. Scale seems comparable to elven, while steel plate is comparable to orcish, just slightly heavier. Steel is easier to acquire than moonstone and quicksilver (for elven) or orichalcum (for orcish), so it might be an alternative path to armor upgrades if you're lacking materials.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Smithing