STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing is a veteran-owned company based in South Florida that specializes in premium hurricane protection solutions, including impact windows, doors, custom storefronts, and roofing. Combining over 25 years of industry experience with military precision, STS provides expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, backed by a leading 3-year installation warranty. Their comprehensive services ensure security and peace of mind for both residential and commercial clients, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency.
View on Google MapsSTS Impact Windows and Doors specializes in hurricane protection solutions, offering high-quality impact windows, storm-resistant doors, custom storefronts, and professional roofing services. With expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, the company ensures homes and businesses stay secure and energy-efficient.
STS Impact Windows and Doors is located at 1000 Holland Dr Suite 10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States. The company proudly serves residential and commercial clients across Florida and throughout the United States, delivering reliable storm protection solutions. View their location on Google Maps.
Yes, STS Impact Windows and Doors is a veteran-owned company recognized for its dedication, integrity, and service to the community. This background adds an extra level of trust and reliability for homeowners and businesses seeking storm protection solutions.
STS Impact Windows and Doors provides a wide range of services including the installation of hurricane impact windows, impact doors, custom commercial storefronts, and roofing services. Each project is backed by expert craftsmanship, a 3-year installation warranty, and over 25 years of industry experience.
The company proudly serves both residential homeowners and commercial property owners. From protecting family homes to fortifying businesses with hurricane-rated storefronts, STS Impact Windows and Doors delivers customized solutions that ensure safety, durability, and efficiency.
Clients benefit from the company’s focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Their impact-resistant windows and doors not only enhance security and hurricane protection but also improve energy efficiency, reduce noise, and increase property value. With a 3-year installation warranty, customers can trust in long-term performance and peace of mind.
STS Impact Windows and Doors has been recognized with multiple industry honors, including the South Florida Veteran Owned Business Excellence Award, Best Hurricane Protection Provider 2023 Florida, and the Angi’s Super Service Award for Window Installation. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and industry leadership.
You can reach STS Impact Windows and Doors by phone at 561-600-1018 or visit their website at stswindows.com. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are available on Facebook and Instagram for updates and project showcases.
Business Name: STS Impact Windows & Doors
Address: 1000 Holland Dr #10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States
Phone: (561)-600-1018
Hurricane season shapes life along Florida's coasts. You feel it in the method neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stockpile, and the ritual of hauling ladders to install panels. After 20 years defining, installing, and troubleshooting building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is genuine security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows outshine shutters in ways that exceed storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how peaceful your living-room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a useful take a look at why many South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets one of the most difficult standards in the nation for constructing parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular lab tests that imitate real typhoon conditions.
First comes big rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That simulates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction in between "fulfills Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and design pressures, denoted as PSF values. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more safeguarded direct exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can suffice, but you size and spec based upon the website's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows that a corner exposure at the second story demands various reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.

Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can meet code, and they're better than nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the projection track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves due to the fact that laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies typically offer credits for effect windows and doors. In my projects, premiums usually drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That means less cooling demand, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact units. Summer season afternoon peak load dropped by approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical energy use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC performance, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic hurricane windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, enabling thinner areas to accomplish higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations modify the polymer to much better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.

Tempered glass windows show up typically in conversations because tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are commonly used as the external or inner ply in an impact system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect efficiency comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida typically targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward greater visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here since they handle large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when enhanced properly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, but I prevent them for really broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand mindful maintenance and clever flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Try to find powder-coated finishes rated for seaside exposure, and request written service warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load path is the core. Impact forces need to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block building and construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you require to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed homes, structural screws must bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. A correctly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a long lasting, flexible seal that manages thermal growth. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it cures inadequately. On coastal jobs, I never ever pair different metals without a barrier, and I always specify corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 years later, you will see who took shortcuts.
Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That moisture might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty smell two cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept carefully can protect homes successfully. They likewise help in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where spending plan is tight sometimes lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom utilized in summer season, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if pairing with impact doors and windows somewhere else stresses the budget. For property owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your house when released, and they require action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and household logistics. During Typhoon Irma, I watched a next-door neighbor attempt to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting space. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, impact windows provide hurricane proof windows protection while maintaining daylight and view. The benefit grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: latent load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal finishing stacks, you can block a large part of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of fabrics and floor covering. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by decreasing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature, which minimizes condensation threat. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it indicates accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect extreme light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and an effectively sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to construct durability. If the grid decreases and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask for. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the exact model and choices you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system provides FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many top manufacturers bring both. Where spending plans allow, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not tell you effect performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leak at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, however ensure your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and ignoring fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs vary with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover value:
If you plan to own the home for five years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan to offer within a year and require to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings glide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems need to be engineered to drain heavy rains without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than style. Reflective movies can contravene of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In seaside environments, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look great on contemporary homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside exposures whenever budget plans allow.
Historic districts frequently require profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a professional acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes specify a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They likewise care about noise control in between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Opportunity or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can buy impact windows include days and Boca Raton window upgrades dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a display room fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not count on brochure optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest tasks start with a determined survey and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. During proposition, the specialist reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, lists anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep your home safe and secure. They secure floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to preserve interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They picture anchors for the authorization file, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to verify drainage paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under serious impacts, but it ought to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out debris into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its job. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurance company and structure department will not count movies as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leakage. That's terrific, but it increases the importance of an effectively sized heating and cooling with good dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to inspect reasonable heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware yearly with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little practices extend lifespan.

There are legitimate factors to mix services. A set of seldom used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun direct exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outside kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Appoint obligation for deployment and practice once outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about making it through the huge one. They improve daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The AC cycles calmly instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals instead of panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the deciding element. They understand storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to create pressures, pick the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and employ a team that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: protection that never ever asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.