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 stockpile, and the routine of transporting ladders to install panels. After 20 years specifying, installing, and fixing building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what does not. When the goal is genuine security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They change how a home 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 useful look at why numerous South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the setup right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets among the toughest criteria in the nation for developing elements exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through specific laboratory tests that imitate real hurricane conditions.
First comes big missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That imitates roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Speed Cyclone Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings vary by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I often define units ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more secured exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can be enough, but you size and spec based on the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story needs various reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can fulfill code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the projection track tightens up, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous defense, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise get advantages every day of cost of window installation the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along hectic corridors 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 due to the fact that laminated glass resists required entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They meet a sticky, persistent membrane rather of a fast path inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies typically provide credits for effect doors and windows. In my jobs, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That means less a/c need, specifically on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact units. Summer afternoon peak load visited approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electricity usage fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC efficiency, however the direction is consistent.

Laminated effect glass is the heart of residential window replacement code the system, but not all laminated items are equal.
Most residential cyclone windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, frequently 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers improve effect resistance and sound control, however they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, allowing thinner areas to accomplish higher style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to much better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up typically in conversations because tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly utilized as the outer or inner ply in an effect unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it fails, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect performance originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Many systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida usually targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 range while keeping noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in bigger openings. The sweet area depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a small tint to manage early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here since they manage big openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when strengthened correctly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, however I avoid them for really wide sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they demand cautious maintenance and smart flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Search for powder-coated surfaces ranked for coastal exposure, and demand written guarantee information 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 tension test. The load path is the crux. 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 want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells must be grouted or you need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed homes, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not simply 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, versatile seal that handles thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it cures improperly. On seaside tasks, I never pair dissimilar 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 count on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness might not show up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a musty odor two hurricane seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels saved thoroughly can protect homes successfully. They also assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if coupling with effect doors and windows in other places worries the budget plan. For property owners 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 house when released, and they need action at precisely the time you are managing insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. Throughout Hurricane Irma, I saw a next-door 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 room. He survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, often loosening fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows offer cyclone proof windows coverage while protecting daytime and view. The convenience grows important once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle 2 fights: latent load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the ideal coating stacks, you can block a large portion of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of fabrics and flooring. Add the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane 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 flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature level, which reduces condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat gets in. VT influences how intense the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it suggests 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 more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect severe light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior surfaces, and a correctly sized variable-speed a/c, and you begin to construct durability. 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 Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you ask for. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Validate the NOA matches the specific model and choices you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system provides FL numbers that show code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Numerous top producers bring both. Where spending plans allow, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not inform you effect efficiency, but they reveal 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, however make certain your home still has actually 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. Installed expenses vary with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening costs typically land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade surfaces raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the mathematics typically tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to show compliance quickly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings glide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill design on sliding doors. Weep systems must 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 fashion. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding residential or commercial properties. In seaside communities, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros know which finishes balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside direct exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts typically need profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times extend and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes specify a narrow list of approved products for uniformity. They likewise care about noise control in between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Deal with building 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, require unique attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a display room satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not rely on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, favorable and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest tasks begin with a measured study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. During proposal, the professional shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and describes how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repairs, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they remove one opening at a time to keep your home protected. They safeguard floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to preserve interior finishes. New units get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the permit file, especially if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to validate drainage paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller change after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can break under extreme effects, however it needs to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out debris into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into typhoon impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not replacement for a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows lower air leakage. That's great, however it increases the significance of an effectively sized HVAC with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to inspect practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire steady, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware yearly with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix options. A set of rarely utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roof deck accessory or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise safeguard outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
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If you pick shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint responsibility for release and practice when beyond 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 only about surviving the huge one. They improve daily living. The living-room stays 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 Category 5 hurricane windows a hurricane threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals instead of panels.
For a lot of my customers, that intangible is the choosing factor. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that only awakens in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, choose the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.