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 carrying ladders to install panels. After two decades defining, setting up, and fixing building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what does not. When the goal is genuine security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows surpass shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how quiet your living-room stays on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up quicker than predicted.
This is a practical look at why numerous South Florida property owners are aesthetics curb appeal storm protection moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets among the toughest benchmarks in the country for building components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through particular lab tests that replicate real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the very same system faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction in between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often lives in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings vary by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can suffice, however you size and spec based on the website's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands different reinforcement than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However 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 desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.

Impact windows live in place. You get constant defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, generally 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 noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances since laminated glass resists forced entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a fast path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters know this, which is why policies often use credits for effect windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That means less a/c 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 systems. Summer season afternoon peak load dropped by approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical energy usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and heating and cooling effectiveness, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers improve impact resistance and sound control, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, permitting thinner areas to achieve greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to better take in 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 stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the external or inner ply in an impact unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it stops working, it blows up 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 utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened 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 normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping visible light transmission around half or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in bigger openings. The sweet area depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here since they deal with big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Premium vinyl impact frames, when enhanced correctly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating worths, but I avoid them for extremely large sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand cautious maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun damages inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Search for powder-coated finishes rated for seaside direct exposure, and demand written guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. An expensive system set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course 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 concrete block building, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid product. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a long lasting, flexible seal that manages thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it treatments badly. On coastal tasks, I never combine different metals without a barrier, and I constantly define corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 years later, you will see who took shortcuts.
Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and combination with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you depend on sealant alone, water will find its way in. That moisture might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty odor two hurricane seasons later.
I have nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept thoroughly can secure homes successfully. They likewise help in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where spending plan is tight sometimes lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for Soundproof impact windows secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom used in summer, a clean motorized roll-down can be affordable, particularly if coupling with impact doors and windows in other places worries the budget plan. For property owners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken the house when deployed, and they need action at precisely the time you are juggling insurance papers, gas cans, and household logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I viewed a neighbor attempt to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we spent the next hour in the urgent care waiting space. He endured with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, sometimes loosening up fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows give hurricane evidence windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The benefit grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two battles: latent load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best coating stacks, you can obstruct a big part of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of fabrics and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner crazy midafternoon.
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I examine glass specifications with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by reducing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature level, which minimizes condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it means accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roof overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show severe light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can lower peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and an appropriately sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to build durability. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the document you request. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Verify the NOA matches the specific model and options you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting office will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that reveal 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. Lots of top manufacturers carry both. Where spending plans allow, I choose NOA products even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not inform you impact performance, but they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leak 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 ignoring fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs differ with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover value:
If you plan to own the property for 5 years or more, the mathematics often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan to sell within a year and require to show compliance quickly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates slide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain pipes heavy rains without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than style. Reflective 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. Regional pros know which coatings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big deal. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern homes, but in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal direct exposures whenever budget 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 extend and costs climb. Anticipate extra evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a professional knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often define a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They also care about noise control between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Avenue or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Deal 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 style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks tough in a display room meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not depend on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest tasks begin with a measured survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposal, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.

On set up 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 protect 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, especially if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under serious effects, however it must stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out debris into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Replace 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 substitute for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurance company and structure department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows minimize air leak. That's great, however it increases the importance of a properly sized a/c with good dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware yearly with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Small habits extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to blend services. A pair of hardly ever utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set porch with very little sun direct exposure might do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a brand-new roofing deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise protect outdoor cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign responsibility for release and practice as soon as outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about enduring the big 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 noise 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 focus on individuals instead of panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the deciding factor. They know storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy impact-resistant glass February morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to create pressures, select the ideal laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a team that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.