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 stockpile, and the routine of hauling ladders to mount panels. After 20 years specifying, installing, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what does not. When the objective is real defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows outshine shutters in ways that surpass storm day. They change 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 useful look at why lots of South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Division sets among the toughest criteria in the nation for developing elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular laboratory tests that imitate genuine typhoon conditions.
First comes big missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the same unit faces 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 distinction in between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" often resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, especially in High Speed Typhoon Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I frequently specify units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, rankings home insurance discounts hurricane protection in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can suffice, but you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner exposure at the 2nd story needs different support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're much better than absolutely nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the projection track tightens up, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.

Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous defense, even hurricane-proof windows 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 advantage. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances because laminated glass resists required entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies frequently use credits for impact windows and doors. In my projects, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining noticeable light. That suggests less air conditioning demand, particularly on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect units. Summer season afternoon peak load come by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electricity usage fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, however the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic typhoon windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several 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 stronger than PVB, allowing thinner sections to achieve higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations modify the polymer to better soak up sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up often in conversations since 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 impact unit. But 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 susceptible. The effect efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Many systems utilize a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for comfort. 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 noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here due to the fact that they manage large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when reinforced effectively, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I prevent them for really broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Look for powder-coated surfaces ranked for seaside exposure, and request written guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. A pricey unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the crux. 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 and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. 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 simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a long lasting, versatile seal that deals with thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it treatments badly. On seaside tasks, I never combine different 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 with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you count on sealant alone, water will find its way in. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell 2 cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels stored thoroughly can safeguard homes efficiently. They also help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever utilized in summer, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, particularly if pairing with impact doors and windows somewhere else stresses the budget plan. For house owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your home when deployed, and they need action at exactly the time you are managing insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I saw a next-door neighbor try to install steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the immediate care waiting space. He made it through with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under aluminum windows sustained winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows offer typhoon proof windows protection while protecting daylight and view. The benefit grows important once you've experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal finishing stacks, you can obstruct a large part of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which normally 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 conditioning crazy midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by lowering nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature, which decreases condensation threat. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some house owners want the crisp, clear appearance of greater VT, even if it suggests accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that show harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed units can minimize peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior surfaces, and an appropriately sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to build durability. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load indicates a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the document you request for. It information the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a showroom. Validate the NOA matches the specific model and choices you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system supplies FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Hurricane Zone, Florida building code windows can count on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of leading makers bring both. Where budget plans enable, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They won't tell you effect efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and neglecting fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed expenses differ with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover value:
If you plan to own the property for five years or more, the mathematics often tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan to sell within a year and require to reveal compliance quickly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take notice of hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings enhance 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 must 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 run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding properties. In seaside ecosystems, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros know which finishings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern homes, however in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings supply the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect extra review by architectural boards, and line up a professional familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They also care about noise control between units. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need special attention in design pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks strong in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not count on catalog maximum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best tasks begin with a determined survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, notes anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they remove one opening at a time to keep the house safe and secure. They safeguard floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to protect 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 permit file, particularly if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to verify drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe impacts, but it ought to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
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Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for a tested, anchored system. Your insurer and structure department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leak. That's fantastic, but it increases the importance of a correctly sized a/c with excellent dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to inspect practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is simple however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware annually with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to blend services. A set of seldom utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with very little sun exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roofing system deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign obligation for deployment and practice when outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about enduring the big one. They improve daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioning 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 much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people rather than panels.
For a lot of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They know storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that only wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to design pressures, choose the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a team that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows provide what shutters can not: security that never requests for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.