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 next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the routine of hauling ladders affordable Boca Raton impact windows to install panels. After 20 years defining, setting up, and troubleshooting building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what does not. When the objective is real protection with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows surpass shutters in manner ins which exceed storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how peaceful 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 useful look at why many South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Division sets among the most difficult criteria in the country for developing elements exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular laboratory tests that simulate genuine typhoon conditions.
First comes big rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing 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 imitate quick 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 regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, especially in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings vary by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I often specify units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be adequate, but you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner exposure at the second story needs 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 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 place. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances because laminated glass resists required entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the shards. They meet a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies typically provide credits for impact windows and doors. In my tasks, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining noticeable light. That suggests less air conditioning demand, especially 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 impact units. Summertime afternoon peak load dropped by approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electrical power use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and heating and cooling efficiency, however the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they include weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, enabling thinner sections to attain higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulas modify the polymer to better take in sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up typically in discussions since tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are typically utilized as the external or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon 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 construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes 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 visible 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 spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten up SHGC and accept a small 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 manage big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when strengthened appropriately, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I prevent them for very large sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require mindful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Try to find powder-coated finishes ranked for seaside direct exposure, and demand written service warranty information in salt-air environments.
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Window installation can make or break performance. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the crux. Impact forces need 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 construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells should 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 just sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply visual. A correctly sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a durable, flexible seal that handles thermal expansion. Too little a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it cures improperly. On seaside tasks, I never ever combine dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always define corrosion-resistant fasteners. Ten years later on, you will see who took shortcuts.
Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a moldy smell two cyclone seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept thoroughly can secure homes efficiently. They likewise assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever utilized in summer, a tidy motorized roll-down can be sensible, especially if coupling with effect doors and windows somewhere else stresses the spending plan. For house owners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when released, and they require action at exactly the time you are handling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Typhoon Irma, I viewed 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 room. He endured with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening fasteners over time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who wish to set it and Boca Raton impact window installation forget it, effect windows provide cyclone evidence windows protection while maintaining daylight and view. The convenience grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight 2 fights: latent load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the best finish stacks, you can block a big portion of radiant heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing fading of fabrics and flooring. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by minimizing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature, which reduces condensation danger. SHGC drives just how much solar heat gets in. VT influences how bright the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some property owners desire the crisp, clear best window installation Boca Raton look of greater VT, even if it suggests accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that show severe light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and an appropriately sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to build durability. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the document you ask for. It details the authorized setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Verify the NOA matches the specific model and alternatives you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can count on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of leading makers carry both. Where spending plans allow, I choose NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They won't inform you impact performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, but ensure your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs vary with size, shape, surface, and access. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening costs typically land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan to offer within a year and require to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates move smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems need to 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 style. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding properties. In coastal environments, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which coverings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern-day homes, but in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal exposures whenever budgets 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 acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes define a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They also appreciate sound control in between units. If your building sits directly on Collins Opportunity or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Work with structure management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and limited parking can add 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 sturdy 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 represent your site's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest tasks start with a determined study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the specialist reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they remove one opening at a time to keep the house protected. They safeguard floorings, pull 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 crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the authorization file, specifically if they will be concealed. After hurricane proof windows Boca Raton glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to confirm drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documentation in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller change after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under serious effects, but it should remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. 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 substitute for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance company and building department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows lower air leak. That's terrific, however it increases the importance of an appropriately sized heating and cooling with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to inspect sensible heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is simple but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to mix solutions. A pair of hardly ever utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget. A deep-set patio with very little sun exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outdoor kitchen 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 manual bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign responsibility 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 only about enduring the big one. They reshape daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioner cycles calmly rather 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 typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals rather than panels.
For a lot of my clients, that intangible is the deciding element. They understand storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that only gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, select the ideal laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a team that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: security that never requests a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.