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 neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stockpile, and the ritual of hauling ladders to install panels. After twenty years specifying, setting up, and fixing building envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is real protection with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform shutters in manner ins which exceed storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living-room stays on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up quicker than predicted.
This is a useful 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 approved," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets one of the most difficult criteria in the country for constructing elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through specific lab tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes large rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That simulates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the exact same system faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I frequently define units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be adequate, however you size and spec 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 different reinforcement than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're 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 reside in location. You get constant 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 advantage. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves since laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies often offer credits for effect windows and doors. In my projects, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and how many 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 preserving visible light. That implies less air conditioning demand, specifically on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact units. Summer afternoon peak load come by approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electricity usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ buy hurricane proof windows Boca Raton with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, but they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, enabling thinner sections to attain greater design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations tweak the polymer to 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 conversations due to the fact that tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly utilized as the external or inner ply in an impact unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it takes off into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect efficiency comes from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Lots of 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 finishings 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 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around half or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet area depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten up SHGC and accept a small tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here since they deal with big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced properly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, but I avoid them for very broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand careful upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces rated for seaside direct exposure, and demand written guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break performance. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension professional window installation in Boca Raton test. The load course is the crux. Impact forces have 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 concrete block building and construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells should be grouted or you need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to take place. In wood-framed homes, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply aesthetic. An effectively sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a durable, versatile seal that manages thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it treatments improperly. On seaside jobs, I never ever pair different metals without a barrier, and I always 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 vital. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty odor 2 hurricane seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels saved carefully can safeguard homes efficiently. They likewise assist in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget is tight sometimes lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom used in summer season, a tidy motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if coupling with effect doors and windows somewhere else stresses the budget plan. For property owners who plan 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 require action at precisely the time you are handling insurance documents, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Cyclone Irma, I saw a next-door neighbor attempt to mount 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 space. He survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows offer cyclone proof windows coverage while protecting daylight and view. The benefit grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat two fights: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal finishing stacks, you can obstruct a big portion of convected heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your AC crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specifications with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by lowering nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature level, which decreases condensation threat. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT influences how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it suggests accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing 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 contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed systems can decrease peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and an effectively sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you start to construct durability. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the document you request. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Verify the NOA matches the specific model and options you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system supplies FL numbers that show code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Numerous top producers carry both. Where budget plans allow, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They won't tell you effect efficiency, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but ensure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up costs differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup value:
If you plan to own the property for 5 years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you plan 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 casements 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 design on sliding doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain pipes 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 fashion. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In coastal communities, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishes balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on contemporary homes, but in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that imitate 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 professional familiar with 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 between systems. If your building sits straight on Collins Avenue or faces a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Deal with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every unit that looks strong in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not count on brochure optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest tasks start with a determined survey and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the contractor shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, notes anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they get rid of one opening at a time to keep your home protected. They secure floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to maintain interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the license file, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to call for a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, 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. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not substitute for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leak. That's fantastic, but it increases the significance of a correctly sized heating and cooling with great dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check sensible heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire stable, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware yearly with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.

There are legitimate reasons to blend options. A pair of hardly ever used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roofing system deck accessory or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also secure outside kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Designate duty for release 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 only about making it through the huge one. They improve daily living. The living room remains cooler and quieter. The a/c cycles calmly instead 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 hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on individuals instead of panels.
For many of my clients, that intangible is the choosing element. They understand storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, choose the best 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 impact windows provide what shutters can not: defense that never asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.