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 transporting ladders to install panels. After twenty years specifying, installing, and fixing building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is real security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows outperform shutters in ways that 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 useful look at why many 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 Product Control Division sets among the hardest standards in the country for developing components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular lab tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 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 deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "satisfies Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, especially in High Speed Cyclone Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings vary by opening size and design pressures, denoted as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically specify units ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be sufficient, but you size and specification based on the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner direct exposure at the 2nd story demands different support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're much 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, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, sometimes more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security improves because 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 quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies often use credits for effect doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting visible light. That means less a/c need, particularly 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 season afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c FBC window requirements effectiveness, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic hurricane windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers improve effect resistance and sound control, however they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, permitting thinner areas to attain higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB solutions tweak the polymer to much better absorb sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up typically in discussions because tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are typically utilized as the outer or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it blows up into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact performance originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems use a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida typically targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around half or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten up SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here since they deal with large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. High-quality vinyl impact frames, when reinforced correctly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I prevent them for extremely large sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they require cautious upkeep and wise flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Look for powder-coated surfaces rated for coastal direct exposure, and demand composed guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. A pricey unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the core. 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 cinder block building and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid product. Hollow cells must be grouted or you need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to take place. In wood-framed homes, structural screws must bite into strong 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. An effectively sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a durable, flexible seal that deals with thermal growth. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it treatments improperly. On seaside tasks, I never ever pair dissimilar 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 combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you rely on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That moisture might disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty smell two hurricane seasons later.
I have nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept carefully can protect homes effectively. They likewise assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom utilized in summer, a tidy motorized roll-down can be reasonable, particularly if pairing with impact doors and windows somewhere else worries the spending plan. For house owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken the house when deployed, and they need action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane 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 invested the next hour in the immediate care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, in some cases loosening fasteners over time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows offer hurricane proof windows coverage while protecting daylight and view. The convenience grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best coating stacks, you can block a large portion of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated systems comes largely from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your AC insane midafternoon.
I assess glass specs with three 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 goes into. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some property owners desire the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it means accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that reflect extreme light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed units can minimize peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and a properly sized variable-speed a/c, and you begin to construct strength. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the document you ask for. It details the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the precise model and choices you are purchasing, 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 show code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone Zone, Florida building code windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many leading manufacturers bring both. Where budget plans allow, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not inform you impact performance, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air wind resistant windows leakage. Aim for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has actually balanced 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. Installed expenses differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you plan to own the home for five years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you plan to offer within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings move smoother and last longer on sandy patios. 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 movies can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding homes. In seaside communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which coatings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on contemporary homes, but in Florida sun low-cost surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Expect extra review by architectural boards, and line up a specialist acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of approved products for uniformity. They likewise appreciate sound control between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Avenue or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need special attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks sturdy in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not depend on brochure optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond large missile impact glazing to your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The best tasks start with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and recognize any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. During proposal, the professional shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, notes anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep the house secure. They safeguard floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to protect interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the authorization file, especially if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate drainage 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 efficiently, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller change after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can split under serious impacts, but it ought to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurance company and building department will not count films as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows lower air leak. That's fantastic, however it increases the importance of an effectively sized a/c with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to inspect reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is simple but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware each year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to mix services. A set of hardly ever used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget. A deep-set porch with very little sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roofing system deck accessory or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise protect outside kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign responsibility for deployment and practice as soon as outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you want to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about enduring the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people rather than panels.
For many of my customers, that intangible is the deciding aspect. They understand storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that only wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February 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 direct exposures to create pressures, pick the ideal laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and employ a crew that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: security that never ever requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.