STS Impact Windows, Doors & Roofing is a veteran-owned company based in South Florida that specializes in premium hurricane protection solutions, including impact windows, doors, custom storefronts, and roofing. Combining over 25 years of industry experience with military precision, STS provides expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, backed by a leading 3-year installation warranty. Their comprehensive services ensure security and peace of mind for both residential and commercial clients, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency.
View on Google MapsSTS Impact Windows and Doors specializes in hurricane protection solutions, offering high-quality impact windows, storm-resistant doors, custom storefronts, and professional roofing services. With expert installation, full transparency, and outstanding customer service, the company ensures homes and businesses stay secure and energy-efficient.
STS Impact Windows and Doors is located at 1000 Holland Dr Suite 10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States. The company proudly serves residential and commercial clients across Florida and throughout the United States, delivering reliable storm protection solutions. View their location on Google Maps.
Yes, STS Impact Windows and Doors is a veteran-owned company recognized for its dedication, integrity, and service to the community. This background adds an extra level of trust and reliability for homeowners and businesses seeking storm protection solutions.
STS Impact Windows and Doors provides a wide range of services including the installation of hurricane impact windows, impact doors, custom commercial storefronts, and roofing services. Each project is backed by expert craftsmanship, a 3-year installation warranty, and over 25 years of industry experience.
The company proudly serves both residential homeowners and commercial property owners. From protecting family homes to fortifying businesses with hurricane-rated storefronts, STS Impact Windows and Doors delivers customized solutions that ensure safety, durability, and efficiency.
Clients benefit from the company’s focus on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Their impact-resistant windows and doors not only enhance security and hurricane protection but also improve energy efficiency, reduce noise, and increase property value. With a 3-year installation warranty, customers can trust in long-term performance and peace of mind.
STS Impact Windows and Doors has been recognized with multiple industry honors, including the South Florida Veteran Owned Business Excellence Award, Best Hurricane Protection Provider 2023 Florida, and the Angi’s Super Service Award for Window Installation. These awards highlight their commitment to excellence, customer satisfaction, and industry leadership.
You can reach STS Impact Windows and Doors by phone at 561-600-1018 or visit their website at stswindows.com. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and are available on Facebook and Instagram for updates and project showcases.
Business Name: STS Impact Windows & Doors
Address: 1000 Holland Dr #10, Boca Raton, FL 33487, United States
Phone: (561)-600-1018
Hurricane season shapes life along Florida's coasts. You feel it in the way neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stockpile, and the ritual of carrying ladders to hurricane impact doors and windows mount panels. After 20 years specifying, installing, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually 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 exceed storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how peaceful 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 useful take a look at why numerous South Florida house owners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets one of the toughest criteria in the nation for building elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is earned through particular lab tests that imitate genuine typhoon conditions.
First comes big rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same unit deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of 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 regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I often specify units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be adequate, however you size and specification based on the website's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows that a corner 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 caution 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 location. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, in some cases more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass resists required entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies typically offer credits for effect windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining noticeable light. That indicates less a/c need, particularly on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact systems. Summertime afternoon peak load come by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electrical power use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c effectiveness, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most domestic cyclone windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers improve effect resistance and sound control, however they include weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to attain higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune 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 often in conversations since tempered glass is more powerful in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the external or inner ply in an impact unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it fails, it blows up into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect performance comes from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings 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 range while keeping noticeable light transmission around half or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in bigger openings. The sweet area depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten up SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage 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 due to the fact that they manage big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. High-quality vinyl impact frames, when strengthened properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, but I prevent them for really broad sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look gorgeous in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they require cautious upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun damages cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal direct exposure, and demand composed guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window installation 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 core. Effect forces have 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 material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage easily 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 create a resilient, flexible seal that deals with thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it remedies inadequately. On coastal jobs, I never combine different metals without a 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 rely on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That moisture might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a moldy smell two cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept thoroughly can safeguard homes efficiently. They also help 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 protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever utilized in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be affordable, especially if pairing with impact doors and windows somewhere else stresses the spending plan. For property owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken the house when released, and they require action at specifically the time you are managing insurance papers, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I enjoyed 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 urgent care waiting room. He survived with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening up fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows offer typhoon evidence windows coverage while maintaining 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 two battles: hidden load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both windborne debris protection if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal coating stacks, you can block a big portion of radiant heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your a/c insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by decreasing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which minimizes condensation risk. SHGC drives how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners want the crisp, clear appearance of greater VT, even if it implies accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterfront lots that reflect extreme light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary 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 exterior surfaces, and a correctly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to construct resilience. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you ask for. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a showroom. Validate the NOA matches the precise design and choices you are purchasing, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that show 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 specific NOAs. Many leading manufacturers carry both. Where budgets enable, I choose NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They won't tell you effect efficiency, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more wind load requirements in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for five years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to offer within a year and need to show compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and accessories. 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 outdoor patios. Look at the sill style 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 movies can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In coastal communities, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which coatings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern-day homes, but in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for coastal direct exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that imitate 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 professional knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They likewise care about sound control in between units. If your building sits directly on Collins Avenue or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Work with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and restricted parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every unit that looks durable in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not rely on brochure optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best tasks start with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the specialist reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, notes anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep the house safe. They safeguard floors, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out Hurricane proof windows with care to protect interior surfaces. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the permit 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 documentation in order.

Six months later on, your tempered glass windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to call for a roller modification after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under extreme impacts, however it needs to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its job. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, but they do not alternative to an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurer and building department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leak. That's terrific, but it increases the significance of an appropriately sized HVAC with excellent dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to inspect practical heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however 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. Small routines extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to blend services. A pair of rarely used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget. A deep-set deck with very little sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roofing system deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise safeguard outdoor kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign responsibility for release and practice as soon as beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about making it through the big one. They improve daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The AC 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 typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people instead of panels.
For many of my clients, that intangible is the choosing factor. They know storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that only gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti models point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, select the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.