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 transporting ladders to install panels. After twenty years defining, installing, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is real protection with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows surpass shutters in ways that surpass storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room stays on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a useful take a look at why lots of South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets one of the most difficult standards in the nation for building parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular laboratory tests that mimic genuine hurricane conditions.

First comes large rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended 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 system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, particularly in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I typically specify units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected direct exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be sufficient, but you size and specification based on the site's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct 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 contrast. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the forecast track tightens, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in location. You get continuous protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You likewise 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 durable interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves since laminated glass withstands required entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a quick course inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies often provide 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 effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That indicates less air conditioning demand, specifically on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect systems. Summertime afternoon peak load visited approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical energy use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and heating and cooling efficiency, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most property hurricane windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, however they add impact glass windows weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, enabling thinner sections to achieve higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB solutions modify the polymer to better take in sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up frequently in discussions due to the fact that tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly used as the outer or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it stops working, it takes off into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Many systems use a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping visible light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to manage 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 impact frames, when strengthened effectively, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, however I prevent them for extremely wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand cautious maintenance and clever flashing. The Florida sun damages low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Search for powder-coated surfaces ranked for seaside direct exposure, and demand written 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 stress test. The load course is the crux. Impact 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 want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed houses, structural screws must bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, versatile seal that handles thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it remedies inadequately. On coastal jobs, I never pair dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always 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 depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty odor two cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels saved carefully can secure homes successfully. They also assist in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight sometimes lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely utilized in summer season, a clean motorized roll-down can be sensible, specifically if pairing with impact doors and windows in other places stresses the budget plan. For property owners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken the house when deployed, and they need action at specifically the time you are handling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and family logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I enjoyed a neighbor try to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we spent the next hour in the immediate care waiting space. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows provide typhoon evidence windows protection while protecting daylight and view. The convenience grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with zero preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two fights: latent load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right covering stacks, you can block a big part 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, lowering fading of materials and flooring. Add the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your AC insane midafternoon.
I assess glass specs with 3 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 level, which lowers condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat gets in. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is key. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it suggests accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect severe light.

In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed units can decrease peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and a properly 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 Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the file you request. It details the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the exact design and options you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many top producers carry both. Where budget plans enable, I choose NOA items even outside the zone because the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you impact efficiency, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Aim for air leak at or listed custom tempered glass below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has stabilized 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 gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs often land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for five years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to offer within a year and need to show compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take note of 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 patio areas. Take a 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 style. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding properties. In seaside environments, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which finishes balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings provide the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside direct exposures whenever budget plans allow.
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Historic districts often need profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but 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 define a narrow list of authorized products for harmony. They likewise care about sound control in between systems. If your structure sits directly on Collins Opportunity or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Deal with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every unit that looks tough in a display room fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not count on catalog maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The best hurricane impact doors and windows tasks begin with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposition, the contractor reveals 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 install day, they remove one opening at a time to keep your house secure. They safeguard floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to maintain interior surfaces. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They picture anchors for the license file, specifically if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to validate drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle during 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 crack under extreme effects, however it must stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its job. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and structure department will not count films as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leakage. That's excellent, however it increases the significance of an effectively sized heating and cooling with good dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to check sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want stable, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is simple however not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to blend options. A pair of rarely used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget. A deep-set porch with minimal sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise protect outside kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Designate obligation for deployment and practice as soon as outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about surviving the big 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 concentrate on people rather than panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They understand storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just awakens in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to develop pressures, pick the ideal laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: defense that never ever requests for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.