STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing is a veteran-owned company based in South Florida that specializes in premium hurricane protection solutions, including impact windows, doors, custom storefronts, and roofing. Combining over 25 years of industry experience with military precision, STS provides expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, backed by a leading 3-year installation warranty. Their comprehensive services ensure security and peace of mind for both residential and commercial clients, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency.
View on Google MapsSTS Impact Windows and Doors specializes in hurricane protection solutions, offering high-quality impact windows, storm-resistant doors, custom storefronts, and professional roofing services. With expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, the company ensures homes and businesses stay secure and energy-efficient.
STS Impact Windows and Doors is located at 1000 Holland Dr Suite 10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States. The company proudly serves residential and commercial clients across Florida and throughout the United States, delivering reliable storm protection solutions. View their location on Google Maps.
Yes, STS Impact Windows and Doors is a veteran-owned company recognized for its dedication, integrity, and service to the community. This background adds an extra level of trust and reliability for homeowners and businesses seeking storm protection solutions.
STS Impact Windows and Doors provides a wide range of services including the installation of hurricane impact windows, impact doors, custom commercial storefronts, and roofing services. Each project is backed by expert craftsmanship, a 3-year installation warranty, and over 25 years of industry experience.
The company proudly serves both residential homeowners and commercial property owners. From protecting family homes to fortifying businesses with hurricane-rated storefronts, STS Impact Windows and Doors delivers customized solutions that ensure safety, durability, and efficiency.
Clients benefit from the company’s focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Their impact-resistant windows and doors not only enhance security and hurricane protection but also improve energy efficiency, reduce noise, and increase property value. With a 3-year installation warranty, customers can trust in long-term performance and peace of mind.
STS Impact Windows and Doors has been recognized with multiple industry honors, including the South Florida Veteran Owned Business Excellence Award, Best Hurricane Protection Provider 2023 Florida, and the Angi’s Super Service Award for Window Installation. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and industry leadership.
You can reach STS Impact Windows and Doors by phone at 561-600-1018 or visit their website at stswindows.com. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are available on Facebook and Instagram for updates and project showcases.
Business Name: STS Impact Windows & Doors
Address: 1000 Holland Dr #10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States
Phone: (561)-600-1018
Hurricane season shapes life along Florida's coasts. You feel it in the way neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the routine of transporting ladders to install panels. After two decades specifying, setting up, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is real defense with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows outshine shutters in ways that exceed storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how quiet your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a useful look at why lots of South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets among the hardest standards in the country for building elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through specific laboratory tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That simulates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the very same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that mimic fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" frequently lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Speed Cyclone Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings differ by opening size and design pressures, signified as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently specify systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be enough, however you size and specification based upon the site's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct exposure at the second story needs various reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can meet 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 projection track tightens up, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get constant defense, 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 resilient interlayer, typically PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along hectic corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, in some cases more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances since laminated glass resists required entry. A robber can shatter the external lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They meet a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters know this, which is why policies often use credits for effect doors and windows. In my projects, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance 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 visible light. That indicates less a/c need, especially on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect units. Summer afternoon peak load stopped by approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electrical power use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most domestic typhoon windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers improve impact resistance and sound control, however 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 areas to accomplish greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB solutions modify the polymer to better absorb sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up frequently in discussions since tempered glass is more powerful in bending than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are typically used as the outer or inner ply in an impact unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it fails, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The impact performance comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida generally 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 low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in bigger openings. The sweet area 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 visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here because they deal with large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Top quality vinyl effect frames, when reinforced correctly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, however I prevent them for extremely wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand mindful maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun destroys inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal direct exposure, and demand written service warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. An expensive system set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load path is the crux. Impact 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 construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong material. 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 simply aesthetic. An appropriately sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a resilient, flexible seal that handles thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it remedies inadequately. On coastal jobs, I never combine dissimilar 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you count on sealant alone, water will find its method. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty odor 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly 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 certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to satisfy the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summer season, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, specifically if pairing with effect windows and doors somewhere else worries the budget plan. For homeowners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when released, and they require action at specifically the time you are managing insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and household logistics. During Typhoon Irma, I enjoyed a next-door neighbor attempt to install 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 survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, often loosening fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows give hurricane proof windows coverage while maintaining daytime and view. The convenience grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight two battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal finish stacks, you can obstruct a big part of radiant heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, reducing fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specifications with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by reducing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature level, which reduces condensation threat. SHGC drives just how much solar heat enters. VT influences how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some house owners want the crisp, clear appearance 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 roof overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show extreme light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and an appropriately sized variable-speed a/c, and you begin to construct durability. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load indicates a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the document you ask for. It information the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. Impact windows It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the precise model and alternatives you are buying, consisting of 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 rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Many leading makers carry both. Where budget plans enable, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They won't tell you impact efficiency, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leak at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, however 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. Set up costs differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic 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 residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math frequently tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to offer within a year and require to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates slide smoother and last longer on sandy patios. Look at the sill design on moving doors. Weep systems should 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 style. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding homes. In seaside environments, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which finishes balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern homes, but in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts frequently hurricane windows Boca Raton require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect additional review by architectural boards, and line up a professional familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often specify a narrow list of approved products for harmony. They likewise appreciate sound control in between units. If your building sits directly on Collins Avenue or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Work with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and limited 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 unit that looks strong in a display room satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not depend on brochure maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest projects start with a determined survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. During proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare 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 your home safe and secure. They secure floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to protect interior surfaces. New units get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the permit file, especially if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drainage 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 mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller modification after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can split under serious impacts, however it should remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leakage. That's fantastic, however it increases the importance of an appropriately sized heating and cooling with great dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to check reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix options. A pair of hardly ever utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun direct exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck accessory or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise safeguard outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Assign duty for release and practice once outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish 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 AC cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people rather than panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the deciding element. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that only awakens in August. Miami-Dade approved windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to develop pressures, pick 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 effect windows provide what shutters can not: defense that never ever requests for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.