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 next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the ritual of hauling ladders to mount panels. After two decades specifying, setting up, and troubleshooting 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 impact windows outshine shutters in manner ins which go beyond storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how peaceful your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a useful look at why lots of South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out 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 Division sets one of the hardest standards in the country for developing elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through particular lab tests that mimic real cyclone conditions.

First comes large rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That imitates roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the exact same system faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate 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 regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Velocity Typhoon Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and design pressures, denoted as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically define systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected direct exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be sufficient, however you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner exposure at the second story demands various support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can meet code, and they're much better than absolutely 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 place. You get constant defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You likewise get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, typically PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually determined interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves due to the fact that laminated glass resists required 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 quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies frequently provide credits for effect windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums usually drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier 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 preserving visible light. That means less air conditioning need, particularly on west and south direct 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 yearly electrical power use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC effectiveness, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers improve impact resistance and sound control, however they include weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner sections to achieve higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, 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 show up typically in conversations because tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are typically used as the outer or inner ply in an effect unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane 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 comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida generally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet spot depends on your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here because they manage large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced effectively, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, however I prevent them for very large sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand mindful maintenance and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Look for powder-coated surfaces rated for seaside exposure, and demand composed guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break performance. A costly unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load path is the crux. Effect 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 cinder block building, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells should be grouted or you require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed homes, 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 just aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a long lasting, versatile seal that handles thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it cures improperly. On seaside tasks, I never combine different metals without a barrier, and I constantly specify corrosion-resistant fasteners. Ten 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 combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you rely on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That moisture may disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty smell two cyclone 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 stored carefully can protect homes successfully. They likewise assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight in some cases lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building code windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely utilized in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be sensible, specifically if coupling with effect doors and windows in other places stresses the spending plan. For homeowners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your home when released, and they require action at specifically the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I saw a neighbor try to commercial storefront glazing install steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we spent the next hour in the immediate care waiting room. He survived with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening fasteners over time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, impact windows provide cyclone evidence windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The benefit grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with absolutely no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two fights: latent load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the right covering stacks, you can obstruct a large portion of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes largely from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of materials and floor covering. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your AC crazy midafternoon.
I examine 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 flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which minimizes condensation threat. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some property owners want the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it means accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and a correctly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you begin to develop durability. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load indicates a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request for. It details the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Confirm the NOA matches the specific design and choices you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of top producers carry both. Where spending plans allow, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not tell you impact efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². 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 dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up expenses vary with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made 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 often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you plan to offer within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and devices. 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 outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill design on sliding doors. Weep systems ought to be engineered 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 fashion. Reflective movies can run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring properties. In coastal communities, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which coatings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on contemporary homes, but in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes supply the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that simulate 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 specialist knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases define a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They also appreciate noise control between systems. If your building sits directly on Collins Avenue or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Deal with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a showroom meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not rely on brochure maximum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest jobs start with a measured survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and recognize any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep your home secure. They protect floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to protect interior surfaces. New systems 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, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate drainage courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller modification after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under serious effects, however it should stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not transform non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance company and structure department will not count films as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's great, but it increases the importance of an appropriately sized a/c with excellent dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to examine practical heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is simple but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware annually with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to mix services. A pair of rarely used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set porch with very little sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roofing system deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also safeguard outside cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign responsibility for release and practice when beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the 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 stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind noise when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people instead of panels.
For much of my customers, that intangible is the choosing element. They know storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a hurricane impact-resistant glass fortress that only gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your direct exposures to develop pressures, pick the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a team that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: security that never ever asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.