What Tools Are Needed to Build a Sod House?

Plow

• Settlers brought plows to the American Midwest to break the tough sod -- soil bound in a thick matting of grass roots -- that covered much of the plains. Horses, oxen or mules generally were used in plowing, while some plows were designed to be pulled by a man instead. Any plow that could cut the sod in a piece or strip large enough to use as a brick was used by home builders, according to the Capper's website. Grasshopper plows featured wide, flat steel blades that could produce large sod bricks and quickly became the most popular tool for the job. Cutting a sod brick by hand with a shovel or other tool was difficult because the bricks needed to be at least 3 inches thick and could be as long as 3 feet.

Saw

• Trees appropriate for cutting into lumber were rare on the plains. This was one of the main reasons sod was the best available building material. However, hardy cedar trees did grow in the area, and their slender trunks could be used as poles for framing doors and windows and supporting the roof, according to Shaw Nature Reserve. Small handsaws were sufficient for trimming off branches and knots to make a smooth pole. Settlers who had extra help may have used two-man saws to make the work easier, or to create thin boards for a sturdier roof if large cedars were available.

Hammer

• Sod bricks didn't need nails or mortar, but other parts of the structure did require the use of a hammer. In an article published in the Oct. 20, 1901, edition of the Omaha World Herald, author A. Rothery explains that a sod house constructed for the Omaha World Fair only required a saw, a hammer and a spade. Early settlers brought nails and a hammer with them and used them to connect the cedar poles. Home builders without nails would still need a hammer to securely fit notches or pegs used to hold these wooden structures together. Once railroad lines were laid into the prairie, sod homes built with wooden frames or purchased boards for the roof would require even more hammering.

Shovel or Spade

• While the plow was the primary tool for removing sod to create bricks, a shovel or spade was the ideal tool for cutting and shaping the sod pieces into the right size. Many settlers cut the sod from the area they would build the house on, according to the website of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center. This created a smooth place for laying out the sod walls and a dirt floor that was more like a traditional home than a floor still covered in prairie grass. A shovel was helpful in leveling and smoothing the dirt floor of a sod home. Building walls over uneven ground could cause them to fall over.