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 neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the routine of carrying ladders to mount panels. After twenty years defining, installing, and troubleshooting building envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what does not. When the objective is genuine security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows outperform shutters in ways that go beyond storm day. They alter how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a practical take a look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade approved," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets among the toughest benchmarks in the nation for building parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through specific lab tests that simulate real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That imitates roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same unit deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" often lives in these test limits. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Velocity Typhoon Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and design pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I frequently specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be adequate, however you size and spec based on the site's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct exposure at the second story needs different reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're much better than nothing. But they ask you to do operate 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 security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: two 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 have actually measured buy hurricane proof windows Boca Raton interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, in some cases more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves since laminated glass resists forced entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies frequently provide credits for effect doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving visible light. That means less air conditioning need, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact systems. Summer afternoon peak load dropped by approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electrical power use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC effectiveness, but the direction 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, typically 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 expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, allowing thinner areas to accomplish higher style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to much better soak up sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up frequently in discussions due to the fact that tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the outer or inner ply in an impact unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it fails, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect efficiency comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes matter for convenience. 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 visible light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten up SHGC and accept a slight 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 dominate here due to the fact that they manage large openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. High-quality vinyl effect frames, when enhanced effectively, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I avoid them for really wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand careful upkeep and wise flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Search for powder-coated finishes ranked for coastal exposure, and demand composed guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. An expensive system installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the essence. 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 cinder block building and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells must be grouted or you require to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to take place. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just visual. A properly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a durable, flexible seal that deals with thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it cures poorly. On coastal tasks, I never combine dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always define 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 buy hurricane proof windows with the water-resistive barrier are important. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell 2 hurricane seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels stored thoroughly can protect homes effectively. They also help in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever utilized in summertime, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, especially if pairing with effect doors and windows in other places worries the budget. For property owners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken the house when deployed, and they require action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Typhoon Irma, I saw a next-door neighbor try to install steel panels hours before landfall. hurricane proof window installation The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting space. He endured with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows offer cyclone evidence windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The benefit grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle 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 effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right coating stacks, you can obstruct a large portion of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated systems comes largely from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing fading of fabrics and floor covering. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner insane midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specifications with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by lowering nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to room temperature level, which reduces condensation threat. SHGC drives just how much solar heat gets in. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some property owners desire the crisp, clear professional window installation Boca Raton appearance of higher VT, even if it means accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs already do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterfront lots that reflect harsh light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed units can lower peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and an effectively sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to construct durability. If the grid decreases and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request. It information the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the precise design and alternatives you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system provides FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building code windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Many leading makers bring both. Where budget plans allow, I choose NOA items even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not tell you impact performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, however make sure your home still has actually 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 expenses vary with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening costs often 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 recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the property for 5 years or more, the mathematics typically tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and accessories. 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 patios. Look at the sill style on moving doors. Weep systems must 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 fashion. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring residential or commercial properties. In coastal communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which finishings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts often need profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows professional window installation in Boca Raton that fit these requirements, however lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate extra review by architectural boards, and line up a professional familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes specify a narrow list of authorized items for uniformity. They likewise care about noise control between systems. If your structure sits directly on Collins Avenue or deals with a busy 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 add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks strong in a display room satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not rely on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best projects start with a determined study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, lists anchor types, and describes 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 eliminate one opening at a time to keep the house secure. They safeguard floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to preserve interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the authorization file, specifically if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller modification after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under serious effects, however it needs to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not transform non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not alternative to a tested, anchored system. Your insurer and building department will not count movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leakage. That's fantastic, however it increases the importance of an appropriately sized HVAC with great dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware each 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 pair of hardly ever used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roof deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise safeguard outside kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.

If you choose shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Designate responsibility for implementation and practice as soon as outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you wish to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about enduring the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room stays cooler and quieter. The a/c 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 hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people rather than panels.

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For many of my customers, that intangible is the choosing element. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just awakens in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti models point our method September.
If you are weighing the option, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, choose the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a team that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never asks for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.