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 carrying ladders to install panels. After two decades defining, setting up, and repairing building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is genuine defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows outshine shutters in manner ins which go beyond storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how quiet your living-room remains on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a practical take a look at why lots of South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets among the most difficult benchmarks in the country for building parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular lab tests that simulate genuine hurricane conditions.
First comes large rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That imitates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "meets Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" frequently resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, especially in High Velocity Cyclone Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings vary by opening size and design pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically define units ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be enough, but you size and spec based upon the site's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands different reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're much better than 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 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 defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, often more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security enhances because laminated glass withstands forced entry. An intruder can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance coverage underwriters know this, which is why policies often use credits for impact doors and windows. In my jobs, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the provider and the number of openings are protected.

Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining noticeable light. That suggests less a/c need, especially 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 come by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electricity use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and heating and cooling performance, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products are equal.
Most domestic typhoon windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect resistance and sound control, however they include weight and expense. 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 sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up typically in conversations because tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly utilized as the outer or inner ply in an impact system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it stops working, it takes off into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact performance originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping noticeable light transmission around half or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward higher visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here because they handle large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl impact frames, when strengthened correctly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I avoid them for extremely wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand mindful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Search for powder-coated finishes ranked for seaside direct exposure, and demand written guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load course is the essence. Effect 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 building and construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you require to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws need to 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. An appropriately sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, flexible seal that handles thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it treatments poorly. On seaside tasks, I never match different metals without a Florida Building Code compliant windows barrier, and I constantly define corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are vital. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may not show up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty smell two hurricane seasons later.
I have nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels saved thoroughly can safeguard homes successfully. They likewise help in certain 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 secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summer, a tidy motorized roll-down can be reasonable, especially if pairing with impact doors and windows in other places stresses the budget. For house owners who plan to move within fiberglass windows a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when deployed, and they require action at precisely the time you are juggling insurance documents, gas cans, and family logistics. Throughout Hurricane Irma, I watched a next-door 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 urgent care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening up fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows offer cyclone proof windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The convenience grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight two fights: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.

Low-E effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right finishing stacks, you can block a big part of convected heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated systems comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which generally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, reducing fading of fabrics and flooring. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specs with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by reducing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to room temperature level, which minimizes condensation danger. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how bright the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it means accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect severe light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and a correctly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to build resilience. If the grid decreases and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask for. It details the authorized setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Confirm the NOA matches the specific model and options you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building code windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Numerous top manufacturers carry both. Where budgets enable, I choose NOA products even outside the zone because the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not inform you effect efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking fresh air is a recipe 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, finish, and access. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening costs typically 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 recover value:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the mathematics typically tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan to sell within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take note of hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates move smoother and last longer on sandy patio areas. Take a look at the sill design on moving doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain pipes 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 contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward neighboring homes. In seaside ecosystems, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which coverings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically need profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often define a narrow list of approved items for uniformity. They also appreciate noise control in between systems. If your structure sits directly on tempered glass shower windows Collins Opportunity or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and restricted parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require special attention in design pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks strong in a display room satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not rely on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest jobs begin with a measured survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposal, the professional reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and discusses 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 your house safe and secure. They safeguard floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to maintain interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the license file, specifically if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to confirm drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, but it must remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Replace 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, but they do not alternative to a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and structure department will not count films as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leakage. That's terrific, but it increases the significance of an effectively sized HVAC with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies quickly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware annually with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to mix services. A pair of seldom utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun direct exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also secure outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Designate obligation 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 wish to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about enduring the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals instead of panels.
For many of my customers, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They know storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early 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 design pressures, pick the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and employ a team that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: security that never requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.