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 ritual of hauling ladders to mount panels. After twenty years defining, installing, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is genuine security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows outshine shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They change how a house 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 practical look at why numerous South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets among the most difficult standards in the country for constructing components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that imitate real hurricane conditions.
First comes big missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That simulates roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the very same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "fulfills Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often lives in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Cyclone Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently define units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be sufficient, but you size and spec based on the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner exposure at the 2nd story demands different reinforcement than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the forecast track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in place. You get constant security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies typically provide credits for effect windows and doors. In my projects, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving visible light. That implies 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 units. Summer afternoon peak load come by approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC efficiency, however the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.

Most domestic hurricane windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, however they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, enabling thinner areas to achieve greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to much better soak up noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up frequently in discussions due to the fact that tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the external or inner ply in an impact system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact performance comes from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems utilize a tempered outer lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida generally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping visible light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet area depends on your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward greater visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here due to the fact that they handle large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. High-quality vinyl impact frames, when strengthened correctly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, but I avoid them for really large sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand mindful upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Look for powder-coated surfaces ranked for seaside direct exposure, and request written service warranty information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. A pricey unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load course 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 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 need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into solid trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply visual. A correctly sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, versatile seal that manages thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments badly. On coastal jobs, I never match dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always 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 crucial. If you count on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty odor two typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing versus well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept carefully can safeguard homes successfully. They likewise assist in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely utilized in summer season, a tidy motorized roll-down can be sensible, specifically if coupling with effect doors and windows somewhere else worries the budget. For property owners who plan 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 specifically the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I saw a next-door neighbor try to mount 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 space. He made it through with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who wish to set it and forget it, impact windows offer cyclone evidence windows coverage while maintaining daytime and view. The benefit grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two fights: latent load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal finishing stacks, you can obstruct a big part of radiant heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated systems comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which typically filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, reducing fading of fabrics and floor covering. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by minimizing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which lowers condensation danger. SHGC drives just how much solar heat enters. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some house owners want the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it means accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a stronger tint for glare control on waterside lots that show extreme light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed systems can lower peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and a properly sized variable-speed a/c, and you start to build strength. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request. It information the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Validate the NOA matches the specific model and choices you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system provides FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Typhoon Zone, Florida building code windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Many top producers bring both. Where budgets enable, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They won't tell you effect efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, however make certain your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up costs differ with size, shape, finish, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening costs often land 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 worth:
If you plan to own the property for 5 years or more, the mathematics typically tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to offer within a year and need to show compliance quickly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes 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 design on sliding doors. Weep systems must be crafted 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 run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring properties. In seaside communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which coverings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern homes, but in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings provide the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts frequently require profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate additional review by architectural boards, and line up a professional acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes specify a narrow list of approved products for harmony. They also care about sound control between units. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Deal with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and restricted parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks durable in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not rely on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The best tasks begin with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, notes anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they remove one HVHZ window standards opening at a time to keep the house safe. They protect floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to protect interior surfaces. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They picture anchors for the authorization file, especially if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate 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 smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller change after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under severe effects, but it needs to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you may 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 tested, anchored system. Your insurer and structure department will not count films as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows minimize air leak. That's fantastic, however it increases the importance of a properly sized a/c with good dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies quickly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to inspect practical heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want constant, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean 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. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to blend solutions. A pair of seldom utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set porch with minimal sun exposure might do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roof deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise secure outdoor cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint obligation for release and practice as soon as outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about surviving the big one. They improve daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The a/c aluminum impact doors cycles calmly instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind noise when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people instead of panels.
For much of my customers, that intangible is the deciding element. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, pick the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.