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 stock up, and the ritual of transporting ladders to install panels. After two decades specifying, installing, and repairing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what does not. When the goal is real security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows exceed shutters in ways that surpass storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how peaceful your living room stays on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a useful look at why numerous South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Division sets among the toughest criteria in the nation for developing components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through specific lab tests that replicate genuine cyclone conditions.
First comes big missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same system faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "fulfills Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" frequently resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Typhoon Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores vary by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured direct exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be adequate, however you size and spec based upon the website's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands various support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can meet code, and they're better than nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the forecast track tightens up, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get constant security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise get benefits 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 resilient interlayer, typically PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, in some cases more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances since laminated glass withstands required entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, which is why policies often provide credits for effect windows and doors. In my projects, premiums generally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That means less cooling need, especially 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 systems. Summer season afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical power use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC performance, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most residential hurricane windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, however they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to achieve higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to better absorb noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up often in conversations since tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are typically utilized as the outer or inner ply in an impact unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it fails, it takes off into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect efficiency comes from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Many systems use a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings 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 half or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten up SHGC and accept a slight 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 control here due to the fact that they handle big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating worths, however I avoid them for extremely broad sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand cautious upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun destroys inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces rated for coastal exposure, and demand composed warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the core. Impact forces need 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 building and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid product. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you require to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed homes, structural screws should 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 just aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, flexible seal that deals with thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it cures poorly. On coastal jobs, I never ever combine dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always 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 combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you rely on sealant Bahama shutters alone, water will find its method. That moisture may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty smell 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept carefully can protect homes effectively. They likewise assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where spending plan is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summer, a clean motorized roll-down can be affordable, particularly if coupling with impact doors and windows somewhere else worries the budget. For homeowners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.

But shutters bring compromises. They darken your house when deployed, and they need action at precisely the time you are managing insurance papers, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Cyclone Irma, I saw 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 immediate care waiting space. He endured with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening up fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows provide typhoon proof windows protection while protecting daylight and view. The benefit grows valuable once you have actually experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best covering stacks, you can obstruct a big portion of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which typically filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of fabrics and floor covering. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specifications with 3 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 closer to space temperature, which minimizes condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat gets in. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners want 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 system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a stronger tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed systems can lower peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and an effectively sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to construct resilience. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask for. It details the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the precise design and options you are purchasing, consisting pressure and impact testing of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone FBC window requirements Zone, Florida building code windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many leading makers carry both. Where budget plans permit, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They won't tell you effect performance, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Aim for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
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Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed expenses 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 basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover value:
If you plan to own the home for five years or more, the math often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take note of hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings glide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems must be crafted to drain 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 fashion. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding properties. In coastal communities, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which coatings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside exposures whenever budget plans allow.
Historic districts frequently need 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 professional acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often define a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They likewise care about sound control in between units. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Deal with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and limited parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every unit that looks durable in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not depend on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best projects begin with a determined survey and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and determine any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the contractor shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes 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 eliminate one opening at a time to keep your house protected. They safeguard floors, 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 crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They picture anchors for the permit file, especially if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to validate drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documentation in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to call for a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can split under extreme impacts, but it needs to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count movies as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's terrific, but it increases the significance of an appropriately sized a/c with good dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check practical heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire stable, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Small practices extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to mix options. A pair of rarely used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Designate obligation for deployment 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 wish to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about surviving the big one. They reshape daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people rather than panels.
For a lot of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They know storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to create pressures, select the best 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: defense that never ever requests for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.