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 stockpile, and the ritual of transporting ladders to mount panels. After twenty years defining, setting up, and fixing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is real defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows surpass shutters in ways that exceed storm day. They change how a house feels in August, how quiet your living-room remains on a Saturday night, and how positive you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a useful take a look at why numerous South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets among the toughest standards in the country for developing components exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that simulate genuine cyclone conditions.
First comes big missile effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That imitates roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the very same unit deals with cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference between "satisfies Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" frequently resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Cyclone Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings differ by opening size and design pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can suffice, but you size and spec based on the site's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows 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 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 forecast track tightens up, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in place. You get constant defense, 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 effect glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a durable interlayer, normally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along busy corridors like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when paired with insulated glass units.
![]()
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the fragments. They fulfill a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast path inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies typically offer credits for impact windows and doors. In my jobs, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern-day low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting noticeable light. That suggests less cooling demand, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect systems. Summer season afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical energy use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results differ with shading, attic insulation, and a/c efficiency, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential hurricane windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or several plies. Thicker interlayers improve impact resistance and sound control, however they include weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, allowing thinner sections to accomplish higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune the polymer to much better take in sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up frequently in discussions because tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are commonly used as the outer or inner ply in an impact 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 and construction, not tempering by itself. Many systems utilize a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings 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 greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in larger openings. The sweet spot depends on your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten up SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here since they deal with big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl effect frames, when enhanced effectively, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, but I prevent them for very broad sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require mindful maintenance and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Look for powder-coated finishes ranked for coastal exposure, and demand written warranty 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 course is the core. Effect forces need to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and after that into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block building and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong material. Hollow cells should 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 need to 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 visual. An appropriately sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, versatile seal that manages thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it remedies poorly. On coastal jobs, I never combine dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always specify 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 integration with the water-resistive barrier are essential. If you rely on sealant alone, water will find its way in. That moisture might not show up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept carefully can protect homes effectively. They also assist in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a tidy motorized roll-down can be reasonable, especially if coupling with impact doors and windows in other places stresses the budget plan. For property 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 specifically the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Typhoon Irma, I watched a next-door neighbor try to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting room. He survived with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, often loosening up fasteners over time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows offer typhoon proof windows protection while maintaining daytime and view. The benefit grows important once you've experienced one storm season with no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the best finishing stacks, you can block a large part of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which usually filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing fading of materials and flooring. Add the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning insane midafternoon.
I assess glass specifications with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by minimizing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which reduces condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT affects how intense the interior feels. Balance is key. Some homeowners desire the crisp, clear look of greater VT, even if it indicates accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roofing overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterside lots that show harsh light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed units can lower peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and a properly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to construct resilience. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request for. It information the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Validate the NOA matches the exact design and options you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system offers FL numbers that show code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Numerous leading makers bring both. Where spending plans permit, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not tell you impact performance, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Aim for air leak at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, however ensure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking 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, surface, and access. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you plan to own the property for 5 years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of impact windows, especially when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance quickly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I focus on hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates move smoother and last longer on sandy patio areas. Take a look at the sill design on sliding doors. Weep systems must be engineered to drain heavy rains without letting wind-driven water blow back in. tempered glass thickness Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than fashion. Reflective movies can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward neighboring residential or commercial properties. In coastal ecosystems, highly reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros understand which finishes balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look great on contemporary homes, but in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings provide the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for coastal direct exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts typically need profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Anticipate additional evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a contractor knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often define a narrow list of approved products for uniformity. They likewise appreciate sound control between systems. If your structure sits straight on Collins Opportunity or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Work with structure management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include 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 strong in a display room meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not depend on catalog maximum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The finest jobs start with a measured study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement cracks. During proposal, the professional reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan 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 safe. They secure floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with 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 photo anchors for the permit file, particularly if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to verify drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no mystery rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller modification after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can split under extreme impacts, but it ought to remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, but they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and structure department will not count films as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leak. That's terrific, but it increases the value of an effectively sized heating and cooling with excellent dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to examine sensible heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated however 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 practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix services. A set of hardly ever utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set porch with very little sun exposure might do fine with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a new roofing deck accessory or a fortified garage door. Shutters can likewise secure outdoor kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint obligation for implementation 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 conditioner cycles calmly rather of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind noise when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on individuals instead of panels.
For many of my customers, that intangible is the deciding aspect. They know storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just awakens in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February 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, select the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever asks for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.