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 way next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the routine of carrying ladders to mount panels. After two decades defining, setting up, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what does not. When the goal is genuine protection with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows exceed shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They change 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 look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets among the toughest standards in the nation for developing parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that simulate genuine cyclone conditions.
First comes big missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That imitates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the same system faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" frequently resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Cyclone Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF worths. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I frequently specify systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be adequate, but you size and specification based on the site's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner exposure at the second story demands different support 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 reside in location. You get constant protection, 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 advantage. Laminated impact glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass resists forced entry. An intruder can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies frequently offer credits for effect windows and doors. In my tasks, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That suggests 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 effect units. Summer season afternoon peak load dropped by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical power usage fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c efficiency, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most property cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, however they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, enabling thinner areas to accomplish greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to much better take in sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up typically in conversations due to the fact that tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the outer or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it fails, it blows up into little cubes and falls out of the frame, hurricane proof windows Boca Raton which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact efficiency comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems utilize a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida usually targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping visible light transmission around half or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet area depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten up SHGC and accept a small tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here since they manage large openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when enhanced properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, however I prevent them for really broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand mindful maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Search for powder-coated finishes rated for seaside exposure, and request composed guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. A costly unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the core. Effect forces need to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and after that into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells must be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed homes, structural screws need to bite into solid trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just visual. An effectively sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, flexible seal that handles thermal expansion. Too little a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it cures inadequately. On coastal tasks, I never match different metals without a barrier, and I constantly specify corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 years later on, you will see who took shortcuts.
Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and combination with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you count on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a moldy odor two cyclone seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels stored carefully can secure homes successfully. They likewise help in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be sensible, particularly if pairing with effect doors and windows somewhere else worries the budget plan. For property owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when deployed, and they need action at specifically the time you are managing insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I saw 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 immediate care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows provide cyclone proof windows coverage while protecting daytime and view. The convenience grows important once you've experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best coating stacks, you can obstruct a large portion of radiant heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes largely from the interlayer itself, which generally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of fabrics and flooring. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specifications with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by decreasing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to room temperature, which reduces condensation risk. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it suggests accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show harsh light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed systems can decrease peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and a correctly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to develop durability. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask for. It details the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Verify the NOA matches the exact model and choices you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building code windows can count on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of top manufacturers carry both. Where spending plans allow, I choose NOA items even outside the zone since the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They won't inform you effect efficiency, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up costs vary with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs typically land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup value:
If you prepare to own the property for 5 years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to show compliance quickly, 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 slide smoother and last longer on sandy patios. Take a look at the sill design on sliding doors. Weep systems must be engineered to drain pipes heavy rainfall without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than Boca Raton impact window options style. Reflective movies can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward neighboring homes. In seaside ecosystems, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishes balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on contemporary homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings provide the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for coastal exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes define a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They likewise appreciate sound control between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.

Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need special attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not depend on catalog maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best tasks begin with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, lists anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they get rid of one opening at a time to keep your house safe. They protect floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to preserve interior surfaces. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the permit file, specifically if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to validate drainage courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documentation in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under severe impacts, however it should stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not alternative to a tested, anchored system. Your insurance company and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows decrease air leak. That's fantastic, but it increases the significance of a correctly sized heating and cooling with good dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Small habits extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to mix solutions. A set of hardly ever used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun direct exposure might do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roofing system deck accessory or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also secure outdoor kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint responsibility for deployment and practice once beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about surviving the big one. They improve daily living. The living-room stays 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 cyclone threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on individuals rather than panels.
For much of my customers, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They know storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti models point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to develop pressures, select the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.