The human story is one of striving to make life better.

This process can clearly be seen in the evolution of housing over the past few millennia. Prehistoric humans lived in caves and built tents made of mammoth skins. For thousands of years these early humans lived heroic but challenging lives. With some modest advancements, we learned to use mud, stone, brick, and wood to construct better homes. For thousands of years we built even more impressive structures like Stonehenge, the Pyramids, and Medieval castles. However, big improvements to the average way of living didn't happen until 1000 years ago. The technologies of fireplaces and chimneys were invented and homes became more comfortable. In 1597, John Thorpe became the first recorded architect to replace multiple connected rooms with a design where each room connected to a central corridor; the hallway was born! Glass windows became available to the masses around the 17th Century. By the late 1800s improvements to our way of life were speeding up. Gas lighting became available which meant that people were no longer limited by daylight. Sewer and water systems, including flush toilets, started becoming more available. Before that, it was common to throw human waste right into the streets which had led to rampant disease. The rate of improvements started to skyrocket in the past century. Electricity, lightbulbs, telephones, radios, televisions, air conditioning, modern insulation, appliances, computers, and the internet all became readily available and common practice.

Most of what goes in to our modern homes is less than a century old. Just pause for a moment. That is a shocking statement. Most of what goes in to modern homes is less than a century old. The rate of growth is unbelievable. We are now on the edge of many exciting new improvements to the way we live yet again. Imagine what can be accomplished in the next century if it is even greater than the last!

At Norhart, our goal is to be a powerful force in improving the way communities live. From the design of our living spaces to the technology we develop, we live to bring these advances to our customers. Simply put, we want to create a better way to live.