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 next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the ritual of hauling ladders to install panels. After two decades specifying, setting up, and fixing structure envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is genuine defense with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows exceed shutters in ways that go beyond storm day. They alter 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 property owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade approved," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets one of the toughest criteria in the country for developing parts exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through particular laboratory tests that simulate genuine hurricane conditions.
First comes large rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That mimics roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same unit deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically lives in these test limits. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings vary by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically define units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be adequate, however you size and specification based upon the site's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct exposure at the second story needs various reinforcement than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can meet code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However they colonial shutters ask you to do operate at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the projection track tightens, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in place. You get constant defense, 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 impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They meet a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies frequently offer credits for impact windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern-day low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That suggests less air conditioning need, particularly on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact units. Summertime afternoon peak load visited approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c efficiency, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.
Most property typhoon windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers improve effect resistance and sound control, however they include weight and expense. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to attain greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to much better soak up sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up frequently in discussions since tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly used as the outer or inner ply in an effect unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it stops working, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The impact performance originates from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Many systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings 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 half or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in larger openings. The sweet area depends on your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten up SHGC and accept a small tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here due to the fact that they manage large openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when reinforced properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, however I prevent them for really wide sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Search for powder-coated finishes ranked for coastal exposure, and request composed warranty information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. A costly system set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load course is the core. Impact forces need to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid product. 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 must 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 aesthetic. An effectively sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, versatile seal that manages thermal growth. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it treatments badly. On coastal jobs, I never ever combine 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell two cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels saved thoroughly can safeguard homes successfully. They likewise assist in particular cases.

Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to satisfy the Florida building regulations windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a tidy motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if coupling with impact doors and windows in other places stresses the budget 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 released, and they need action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I watched a neighbor try to mount 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 survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, in some cases loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows provide typhoon evidence windows coverage while maintaining daylight and view. The convenience grows important once you've experienced one storm season with zero prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight two fights: hidden load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the right covering stacks, you can block a big part of radiant heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mainly 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 NOA approval the solar heat that drives your AC crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by reducing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which decreases condensation risk. SHGC drives how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some property owners want the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it implies accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and a properly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to build strength. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Acceptance, or NOA, is the file you request for. It details the authorized setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Verify the NOA matches the exact design and alternatives you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system provides FL numbers that show code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of leading manufacturers bring both. Where spending plans permit, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone because the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not tell you impact efficiency, but they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leak at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, 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 in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs vary with size, shape, surface, and access. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup value:
If you plan to own the home for 5 years or more, the mathematics often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. 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 patio areas. Look at the sill style on moving doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain heavy rainfall without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than style. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In coastal 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 big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that simulate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times lengthen and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a specialist familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They likewise care about sound control between systems. If your structure sits directly on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Work with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and limited parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks strong in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not rely on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best projects start with a measured study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. During proposal, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product 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 install day, they remove one opening at a time to keep your home secure. They secure floors, draw 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 photograph anchors for the authorization file, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to validate drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and documentation in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can break under serious effects, but it ought to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not convert non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leak. That's excellent, but it increases the importance of a correctly sized a/c with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to inspect sensible heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire stable, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware yearly with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to mix services. A set of rarely utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun direct exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck accessory or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise protect outdoor cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Designate responsibility for deployment and practice when 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 hurricane impact-resistant windows not just about surviving the big one. They reshape 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 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 people rather than panels.
For much of my clients, that intangible is the deciding factor. They understand storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that just awakens in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to design pressures, pick the ideal 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 impact windows deliver what shutters can not: security that never asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.