STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing is a veteran-owned company based in South Florida that specializes in premium hurricane protection solutions, including impact windows, doors, custom storefronts, and roofing. Combining over 25 years of industry experience with military precision, STS provides expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, backed by a leading 3-year installation warranty. Their comprehensive services ensure security and peace of mind for both residential and commercial clients, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency.
View on Google MapsSTS Impact Windows and Doors specializes in hurricane protection solutions, offering high-quality impact windows, storm-resistant doors, custom storefronts, and professional roofing services. With expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, the company ensures homes and businesses stay secure and energy-efficient.
STS Impact Windows and Doors is located at 1000 Holland Dr Suite 10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States. The company proudly serves residential and commercial clients across Florida and throughout the United States, delivering reliable storm protection solutions. View their location on Google Maps.
Yes, STS Impact Windows and Doors is a veteran-owned company recognized for its dedication, integrity, and service to the community. This background adds an extra level of trust and reliability for homeowners and businesses seeking storm protection solutions.
STS Impact Windows and Doors provides a wide range of services including the installation of hurricane impact windows, impact doors, custom commercial storefronts, and roofing services. Each project is backed by expert craftsmanship, a 3-year installation warranty, and over 25 years of industry experience.
The company proudly serves both residential homeowners and commercial property owners. From protecting family homes to fortifying businesses with hurricane-rated storefronts, STS Impact Windows and Doors delivers customized solutions that ensure safety, durability, and efficiency.
Clients benefit from the company’s focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Their impact-resistant windows and doors not only enhance security and hurricane protection but also improve energy efficiency, reduce noise, and increase property value. With a 3-year installation warranty, customers can trust in long-term performance and peace of mind.
STS Impact Windows and Doors has been recognized with multiple industry honors, including the South Florida Veteran Owned Business Excellence Award, Best Hurricane Protection Provider 2023 Florida, and the Angi’s Super Service Award for Window Installation. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and industry leadership.
You can reach STS Impact Windows and Doors by phone at 561-600-1018 or visit their website at stswindows.com. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are available on Facebook and Instagram for updates and project showcases.
Business Name: STS Impact Windows & Doors
Address: 1000 Holland Dr #10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States
Phone: (561)-600-1018
Hurricane season shapes life along Florida's coasts. You feel it in the method next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the ritual of carrying ladders to install panels. After 20 years specifying, installing, and fixing building envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is genuine defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform 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 faster than predicted.
This is a practical take a look at why many South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets one of the most difficult standards in the nation for constructing components exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular lab tests that replicate real cyclone conditions.
First comes large rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That imitates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the very same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" frequently resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I typically define units ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded direct exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be sufficient, but you size and specification based on the site's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands various reinforcement than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can satisfy 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 up, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along hectic corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass resists forced entry. A robber can shatter the external lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a fast path inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies frequently offer credits for impact doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern-day low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That means less air conditioning need, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect systems. Summer afternoon peak load come by roughly a lots of Impact windows cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy usage fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC performance, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic hurricane windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they include weight and expense. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner sections to attain higher style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations tweak the polymer to much better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up often in conversations since tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the external or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Many systems use a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly 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 noticeable light transmission around half or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle early 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 due to the fact that they handle big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. High-quality vinyl effect frames, when enhanced correctly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, but I prevent them for very wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful maintenance and clever flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Search for powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal direct exposure, and request written warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the core. Effect forces have to travel 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 hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws must bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply visual. A properly sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a resilient, flexible seal that manages thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it treatments improperly. On seaside jobs, I never ever pair different metals without a barrier, and I constantly specify 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 method. That moisture 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 hurricane seasons later.
I have nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels stored carefully can safeguard homes successfully. They likewise help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings 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 seldom used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, particularly if coupling with effect windows and doors somewhere else worries the spending 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 house when deployed, and they need action at exactly the time you are handling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I viewed a 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 urgent care waiting room. He endured with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
 
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows give hurricane evidence windows protection while preserving daytime 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 2 fights: latent load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right covering stacks, you can block a big portion of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes mainly 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 suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioner crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate 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 circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to room temperature level, which minimizes condensation risk. SHGC drives just how much solar heat gets in. VT affects how bright the interior feels. Balance is key. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it suggests accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roofing system overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect severe 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 a properly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to construct strength. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request for. It information the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Validate the NOA matches the specific design and options you are purchasing, including 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 provides FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of leading producers carry both. Where budgets enable, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you impact efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Aim for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, but ensure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding 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, finish, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup value:
If you plan to own the home for five years or more, the mathematics typically 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 take note of hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings move smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill style on moving doors. Weep systems ought to be engineered to drain pipes heavy rainfall without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than fashion. Reflective movies can contravene of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring residential or commercial properties. In coastal communities, 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 huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on contemporary homes, but in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings provide the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts frequently need profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times lengthen and costs climb. Expect extra review by architectural boards, and line up a contractor knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes specify a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They likewise care about sound control in between units. If your building sits straight on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Deal with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and limited parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks durable in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not depend on catalog maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest projects start with a determined survey and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the professional shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and discusses 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 eliminate one opening at a time to keep your house protected. They secure floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with 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 photograph anchors for the authorization file, especially if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to confirm drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can split under severe effects, however it needs to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance company and building 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 value of a properly sized HVAC with good dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat pleases quickly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to inspect reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want stable, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware annually with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little practices extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to mix options. A set of rarely used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget. A deep-set porch with very little sun direct exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck accessory or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also safeguard outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Designate duty for deployment and practice once beyond 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 durable impact windows about enduring the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains 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 typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people instead of panels.
For many of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They understand storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that only gets up 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 models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, begin with a site-specific assessment. 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 employ a crew that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: security that never asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.