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 routine of transporting ladders to mount panels. After twenty years defining, installing, and fixing building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is genuine defense with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows exceed shutters in manner ins which exceed storm day. They change how a home feels in August, how quiet 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 practical look at why numerous South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade approved," what materials matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets one of the most difficult standards in the nation for building elements exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that imitate real hurricane conditions.

First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That simulates roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" often lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Speed Typhoon Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and design pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically specify systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected direct exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be adequate, but you size and spec based upon the site's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows that a corner exposure at the second story needs various support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're much better than nothing. However 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 want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live 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 advantage. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On tasks along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I have actually determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, in some cases more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves since laminated glass resists forced entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They meet a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a quick path inside. Insurance 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 provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern-day low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That suggests less air conditioning need, particularly on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E impact systems. Summertime afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electricity usage fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products 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 enhance effect resistance and sound control, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to attain greater design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations tweak the polymer to much better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows turn up often in discussions since tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are typically utilized as the external or inner ply in an effect system. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the cyclone sense. When it stops working, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect performance comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coverings 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 noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in bigger openings. The sweet area depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to handle morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward higher visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here since they deal with large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. Premium vinyl impact frames, when enhanced effectively, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, however I prevent them for really wide sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand cautious upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun damages low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Look for powder-coated finishes rated for seaside direct exposure, and demand composed guarantee information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break performance. A pricey system installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the core. Effect forces have to travel from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and after that into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block building, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed homes, structural screws should 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. A properly sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a long lasting, versatile seal that handles thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too huge and it remedies poorly. On seaside tasks, I never ever combine different metals without a barrier, and I constantly specify 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you count on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or storm damage prevention a musty smell 2 cyclone seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels stored thoroughly can safeguard homes effectively. They also assist in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight in some cases lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building regulations windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, particularly if pairing with impact windows and doors somewhere else stresses the budget. For house owners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.

But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken the house when deployed, and they require action at specifically the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I enjoyed a next-door neighbor attempt 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 made it through with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, sometimes loosening up fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows provide hurricane proof windows coverage while maintaining daytime and view. The benefit grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the best finishing stacks, you can block a large part of radiant heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which generally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, lowering fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your AC crazy midafternoon.
I examine glass specifications with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by decreasing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature, which decreases condensation risk. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how intense the interior feels. Balance is key. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear look 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 more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed systems can minimize peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and a correctly sized variable-speed a/c, and you start to construct durability. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you request for. It details the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Validate the NOA matches the exact design and alternatives you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that show code compliance. In the accordion shutters rest of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can count on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of top manufacturers carry both. Where budget plans permit, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you effect efficiency, but they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has balanced ventilation. Sealing the envelope and ignoring fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you plan to offer within a year and require to show compliance quickly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take note of hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates glide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems should be engineered to drain pipes 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 associations or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring properties. In seaside communities, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros know which coatings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on contemporary homes, however in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes supply the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for coastal exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Expect additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases define a narrow list of authorized products for uniformity. They likewise appreciate sound control between systems. If your building sits straight on Collins Avenue or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work 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, need special attention in style pressure, deflection, and operating hardware. Not every unit that looks durable in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not count on catalog optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, favorable and unfavorable 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 proposition, the contractor shows you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and explains how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep your house safe. They secure floors, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to protect interior finishes. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photo anchors for the license file, specifically if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drainage courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and documentation 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 first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can split under extreme effects, however it should stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles 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 convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for a tested, anchored system. Your insurer and structure department will not count movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows decrease air leakage. That's fantastic, but it increases the significance of a correctly sized a/c with great dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases quickly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to examine reasonable heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You want consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware each year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix services. A set of seldom utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set porch with minimal sun direct exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a new roofing deck accessory or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also secure outdoor kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint responsibility for implementation and practice as soon as beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early 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 remains cooler and quieter. The AC cycles calmly instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind noise when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a cyclone threatens, your preparation list gets much 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 factor. They know storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to develop pressures, pick the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: defense that never asks for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.