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 stock up, and the routine of hauling ladders to mount panels. After two decades 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 real defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows exceed shutters in ways that surpass storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room stays on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a practical take a look at why many South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets one of the most difficult criteria in the country for building components exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular lab tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That imitates roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" frequently lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Cyclone Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings differ by opening size and style pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently define units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can suffice, but you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner exposure at the 2nd story needs various support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're much better than nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the projection track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in location. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated impact glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances since laminated glass withstands forced entry. A robber can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane rather of a fast course inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies typically offer credits for impact windows and doors. In my tasks, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting visible light. That means less cooling demand, particularly 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 effect units. Summertime afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electrical power use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC performance, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential hurricane windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers improve impact resistance and sound control, however they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, enabling thinner sections to attain greater design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas 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 come up often in conversations because tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed Boca Raton impact resistant windows glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly utilized as the external or inner ply in an effect unit. However 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 vulnerable. The impact performance originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems utilize a tempered outer lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings 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 visible light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger 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 greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here since they deal with large 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 carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I prevent them for very wide sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look gorgeous in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand mindful upkeep and wise flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Look for powder-coated surfaces ranked for seaside direct exposure, and request written guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the core. Impact forces need to travel from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then 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 need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws must bite into solid trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply visual. An appropriately sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, flexible seal that handles thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments badly. On seaside tasks, I never ever match different metals without a barrier, and I always specify 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 rely on sealant alone, water will find its way in. That moisture may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty smell 2 cyclone seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing versus well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept carefully can protect homes successfully. They also assist in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where spending plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely utilized in summer, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, particularly if pairing with impact doors and windows elsewhere worries the budget plan. For homeowners 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 precisely the time you are managing insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Cyclone Irma, I watched a next-door neighbor attempt to install steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting room. He survived with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows offer hurricane proof windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The convenience grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with zero prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight two battles: hidden load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal finishing stacks, you can obstruct a large portion of radiant heat and UV. UV clog in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of fabrics and floor covering. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner crazy midafternoon.
I assess glass specs with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by reducing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to room temperature, which lowers condensation threat. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some homeowners want the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it indicates accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing overhangs already 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 units can lower peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and an appropriately sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to build resilience. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load indicates a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the document you request for. It information the approved 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 precise model and alternatives you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting office will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system supplies FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many top makers bring both. Where budgets enable, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone since the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not tell you effect performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leak at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has actually balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and ignoring fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs vary with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land in 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 plan to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings glide smoother and last longer on sandy patios. Take a look at the sill design on sliding doors. Weep systems ought to 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 movies can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring homes. In seaside ecosystems, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which finishes balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on contemporary homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings provide the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever spending plans allow.


Historic districts frequently require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but 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 approved products for uniformity. They likewise care about sound control between systems. If your building sits directly on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Deal with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require special attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks strong in a display room meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not depend on catalog optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best tasks start with a measured survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, lists anchor types, and explains 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 get rid of one opening at a time to keep the house secure. They best hurricane proof windows available secure floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to protect interior surfaces. 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 license file, specifically if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to confirm drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle throughout 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 crack under extreme 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. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's excellent, but it increases the significance of a correctly sized a/c with good dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to examine reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small practices extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to blend options. A set of hardly ever utilized 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 focus on other upgrades like a new roofing deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also safeguard outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Designate responsibility for deployment and practice once beyond 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 surviving the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The a/c 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 cyclone threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people rather than panels.
For many of my customers, that intangible is the deciding factor. They know storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that only awakens in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February 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 create pressures, choose the ideal 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 much better home every day of the year.