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 next-door neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stock up, and the routine of transporting ladders to mount panels. After two decades specifying, installing, and fixing structure envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what does not. When the objective is genuine defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows exceed shutters in manner ins which buy impact windows Boca Raton exceed storm day. They alter how a house feels in August, how quiet your living-room remains 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 numerous South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to cyclone 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 Product Control Department sets among the most difficult benchmarks in the country for developing elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through specific laboratory tests that simulate real hurricane conditions.
First comes big missile 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, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that mimic fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Speed Typhoon Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores vary by opening size and style pressures, denoted as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically define systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can suffice, however you size and specification based on the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner exposure at the second story demands different support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However they ask you to do operate at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the projection track tightens up, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated impact glass is essentially a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, typically PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I have actually measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves due to the fact that laminated glass resists forced entry. An intruder can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, persistent membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters know this, which is why policies often offer credits for effect doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining visible light. That indicates less cooling need, 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 season afternoon peak load dropped by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical energy usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC performance, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic typhoon windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers enhance effect 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, permitting thinner areas to achieve greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulas modify the polymer to much better absorb noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up frequently in discussions since tempered glass is stronger in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently utilized as the external or inner ply in an effect unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it fails, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems use a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping visible light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in larger openings. The sweet area depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here due to the fact that they manage big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced effectively, 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, but they require cautious maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun destroys cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Try to find powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal 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 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 cinder 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 strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into solid trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. An appropriately sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a long lasting, versatile seal that deals with thermal growth. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments poorly. On seaside jobs, I never combine different metals without a barrier, and I constantly define corrosion-resistant fasteners. Ten 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 combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you depend on sealant alone, water will find its method. That moisture might not show up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a moldy smell two typhoon seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels saved carefully can secure homes efficiently. They also help in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight often lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom utilized in summer, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, specifically if coupling with effect windows and doors in other places stresses the budget plan. For house owners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your house when released, and they need action at precisely the time you are managing insurance documents, gas cans, and family logistics. Throughout Hurricane Irma, I viewed a next-door neighbor try to 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 space. He endured with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening up fasteners in time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows provide hurricane proof windows coverage while protecting daytime 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 combat 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and reasonable 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 reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right finish stacks, you can block a big part of radiant heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes largely from the interlayer itself, which typically filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of materials and floor covering. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your a/c crazy midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by decreasing nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to room temperature, which lowers condensation risk. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how bright the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear appearance of greater VT, even if it suggests accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect harsh light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day 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 a correctly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to build strength. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you request. It details the authorized setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a showroom. Validate the NOA matches the precise model and choices you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will desire 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 Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of leading producers bring both. Where budgets enable, I choose NOA items even outside the zone since the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you effect performance, but they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, however make certain your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding 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 vary with size, shape, finish, and access. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the home for 5 years or more, the math often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to offer within a year and require to reveal compliance quickly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings slide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems must be engineered to drain pipes heavy rains without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.

Tint colors and reflectivity are more than fashion. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding homes. In seaside communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishes balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and best window installation Boca Raton fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside direct exposures whenever spending plans 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. Anticipate extra evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a professional familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes define a narrow list of approved items for harmony. They likewise care about sound control between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Deal with structure 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, need special attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every system that looks sturdy in a display room satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not count on catalog maximum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest jobs begin with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the professional reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists 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 install day, they remove one opening at a time to keep your home secure. They secure floors, pull 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 crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the permit file, specifically if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to validate drainage paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and best hurricane proof windows available paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller modification after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can break under serious impacts, but it must remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out debris into the glass, you may 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 hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not substitute for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows minimize air leakage. That's great, but it increases the value of an appropriately sized heating and cooling with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat pleases rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to examine reasonable heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want stable, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware yearly with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Small routines extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix options. A set of hardly ever used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget. A deep-set porch with minimal sun direct exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you hurricane proof window options prioritize other upgrades like a new roofing system deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outside kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Designate duty for deployment and practice as soon as beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish to discover you have 29. buy hurricane proof windows Boca Raton
Impact windows are not just about enduring the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly instead 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 hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on people instead of panels.
For a lot of my customers, that intangible is the choosing element. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, select the ideal 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 provide what shutters can not: security that never requests a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.