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 next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the ritual of hauling ladders to install panels. After 20 years defining, setting up, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is genuine defense with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows exceed shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how peaceful your living-room stays on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a practical look at why many South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets one of the toughest benchmarks in the country for building parts exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes big rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That simulates roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the same unit deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "fulfills Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Speed Cyclone Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I frequently define systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF range can suffice, however you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner exposure at the 2nd story demands different support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're much better than nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the forecast track tightens, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get continuous protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You also get advantages tempered glass balcony 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 resistant interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along hectic corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass resists forced entry. A robber can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a fast course inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies frequently offer credits for impact doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums usually drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern-day low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving visible light. That suggests less air conditioning 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 afternoon peak load come by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electricity use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, however the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they include weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, allowing thinner sections to accomplish higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to better soak up noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up frequently in conversations because tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are typically used as the outer or inner ply in an effect unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect performance comes from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Many systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings 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 noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in larger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a small tint to manage early 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 manage large openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Premium vinyl impact frames, when strengthened correctly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating worths, however I prevent them for extremely large sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand careful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal direct exposure, and demand written service warranty details in salt-air environments.

Window setup can make or break efficiency. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the essence. 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 cinder block construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you require 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 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 visual. A properly sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, versatile seal that manages thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it remedies improperly. On seaside jobs, I never ever pair dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I constantly define corrosion-resistant fasteners. Ten 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 crucial. If you count on sealant alone, water will find its way in. That moisture might not show 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 versus well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels stored carefully can secure homes effectively. They also help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight often lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom used in summer season, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, specifically if coupling with impact doors and windows in other places 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 trade-offs. They darken your house when deployed, and they need action at exactly the time you are handling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I saw a neighbor attempt to install steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in tempered glass thickness the immediate care waiting room. He survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows provide typhoon proof windows protection while maintaining daytime and view. The benefit grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight two fights: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal finish stacks, you can block a big part of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, reducing fading of fabrics and floor covering. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your AC crazy 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 reducing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature level, which decreases condensation risk. SHGC drives how much solar heat goes into. VT influences how bright the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it suggests accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing system overhangs already do some shading. Others prefer a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect extreme light.
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In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and a properly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to construct resilience. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you request. It details the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the exact design and alternatives you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can count on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Numerous top makers bring both. Where spending plans permit, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you effect performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has actually balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking 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 expenses differ with size, shape, finish, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening costs often land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup value:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math frequently tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you prepare to sell within a year and need 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 real estates move smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill style on moving doors. Weep systems should be engineered to drain 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 fashion. Reflective movies can run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In seaside communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros know which coverings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern homes, but in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings supply the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect additional review by architectural boards, and line up a contractor acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of approved products for uniformity. They likewise appreciate noise control between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Work with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks sturdy in a display room fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not depend on brochure maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best projects begin with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. During proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep your home protected. They safeguard floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to maintain interior finishes. 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 authorization file, particularly if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool 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 mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, however it must stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do colonial shutters not convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not alternative to a tested, anchored system. Your insurer and structure department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leak. That's excellent, but it increases the significance of a correctly sized a/c with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want constant, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small habits extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to blend solutions. A set of seldom utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun exposure might do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a brand-new roofing deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise secure outside cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for insurance discount impact windows roll-downs make a difference. Assign responsibility for implementation and practice when outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about enduring the huge one. They improve daily living. The living room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioner cycles calmly rather 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 much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people instead of panels.
For much of my customers, that intangible is the deciding element. They understand 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 provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to create pressures, select the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: security that never ever asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.