Natural Building Tools: Essential Equipment List Natural building tools are the kit you need to turn raw earth, straw, hemp and timber into durable, breathable homes. For a budget-conscious DIYer preparing to raise a 3–4 m cob wall, the right mix of hand tools, mixers and safety gear can halve labour hours compared with purely hand-mixed methods; using a small cement mixer or wheelbarrow-mixing rig typically cuts crew-hours by 30–60% on medium-sized walls. This guide lists practical natural building tools and equipment for cob, hempcrete, straw-bale and rammed-earth projects, explains when to rent versus buy, and links to tested resources so you can plan tools around scale, budget and code. TL;DR: - Choose the right mixer: a small 3–5 cu ft drum mixer or wheelbarrow system is cost-effective for projects under 10 m³; rent larger mixers for short, high-volume bursts. - Prioritize three tool classes: proven hand tools for shaping, a dependable mixer for throughput, and measurement/PPE gea...