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 routine of carrying ladders to mount panels. After 20 years defining, setting up, and repairing building envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is real defense with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows exceed shutters in ways that go beyond storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a practical look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets one of the most difficult criteria in the country for constructing components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is earned through specific laboratory tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes big missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That simulates roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the exact same system faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "satisfies Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, particularly in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF values. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I frequently define systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be enough, however you size and spec based upon the site's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows that a corner direct exposure at the 2nd story demands various reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution 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 location. You get constant defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated impact glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I have actually determined interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass resists required entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies often offer credits for effect doors and windows. In my jobs, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining hurricane proof windows Boca Raton visible light. That suggests less cooling need, specifically 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 impact units. Summer afternoon peak load visited roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electricity usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most property cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact 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, permitting thinner areas to achieve higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas modify 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 show up often in discussions since tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the outer or inner ply in an effect system. However 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 effect efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Many systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida usually targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in larger openings. The sweet area depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten SHGC and accept a small tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames buy impact windows Boca Raton are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here since they handle big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. High-quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced properly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating worths, but 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, however they require mindful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Try to find powder-coated finishes rated for coastal direct exposure, and request composed guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. A costly unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path 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 solid material. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you require to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed homes, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just visual. A properly sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a long lasting, versatile seal that handles thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments improperly. On seaside jobs, 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you count on sealant alone, water will find its method. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell 2 hurricane seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels saved carefully can secure homes efficiently. They likewise assist in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where spending plan is tight sometimes lean on shutters to satisfy the Florida building code windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summer, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, particularly if coupling with effect windows and doors elsewhere worries the budget plan. For homeowners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.

But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your house when released, and they need action at exactly the time you are managing insurance papers, gas cans, and family logistics. During Typhoon Irma, I saw 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 immediate Boca Raton hurricane impact windows care waiting space. He endured with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, impact windows offer cyclone evidence windows protection while maintaining daytime and view. The benefit grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.

South Florida homes battle two battles: hidden load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal finish stacks, you can block a large part of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which typically filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing 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 specs with 3 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 closer to room temperature, which minimizes condensation risk. SHGC drives just how much solar heat gets in. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it implies accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control hurricane resistant windows solutions on waterfront lots that reflect harsh light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed units can lower peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior surfaces, and a properly sized variable-speed a/c, and you start to develop strength. If the grid decreases and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load indicates a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you request. It details the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Confirm the NOA matches the precise model and alternatives you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain 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 Velocity Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can count on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Numerous top manufacturers carry both. Where budgets permit, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone since the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They won't inform you effect performance, but they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has stabilized 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. Set up expenses vary with size, shape, surface, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you plan to own the property for five years or more, the math often tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you plan to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance quickly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and accessories. 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 outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems should be engineered to drain 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 fashion. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding homes. In seaside communities, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which coatings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside exposures whenever budget plans allow.
Historic districts frequently need profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate extra evaluation 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 uniformity. They also appreciate noise control between units. If your structure sits straight on Collins Avenue or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Deal with building 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, require special attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks durable in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not count on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best tasks start with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. During proposition, the contractor shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists 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 install day, they get rid of one opening at a time to keep your house safe. They secure floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to preserve interior finishes. 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 license file, specifically if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller change after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, however 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. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leak. That's terrific, but it increases the significance of an effectively sized HVAC with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat pleases rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire stable, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small practices extend lifespan.

There are genuine factors to mix options. A pair of seldom used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun direct exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roofing deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also protect outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint obligation for deployment and practice as soon as beyond 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 only about making it through the huge one. They improve daily living. The living room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioning 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 individuals instead of panels.
For much of my customers, that intangible is the choosing element. They understand 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 approved windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, choose the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a team that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: defense that never ever asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.