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 20 years defining, setting up, and fixing structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is genuine protection with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient effect windows exceed shutters in ways that go beyond storm day. They alter how a house feels in August, how quiet your living-room stays on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up faster than predicted.
This is a practical take a look at why lots of South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade approved," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets among the hardest criteria in the nation for developing components exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through specific laboratory tests that imitate genuine cyclone conditions.
First comes large rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing 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 fast wind Buy hurricane windows near me gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" often resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores differ by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF worths. On ocean-facing homes or high-rises, I typically define systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured exposures, rankings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can laminated glass windows be enough, however you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner exposure at the second story needs different support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact 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 operate at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution 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 protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You likewise get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated impact glass is essentially a sandwich: 2 panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've determined interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass withstands forced entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance coverage 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 on the provider and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with modern-day low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That means less a/c demand, specifically on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we changed 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect units. Summer season afternoon peak load stopped by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical power use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC efficiency, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however wood windows not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic hurricane 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, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, enabling thinner areas to attain higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulations modify the polymer to better soak up noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up typically in discussions since tempered glass is stronger 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 typhoon sense. When it fails, it takes off into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The impact efficiency originates from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Numerous systems utilize a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, but always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida generally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around half or higher. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, particularly in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here due to the fact that they manage large openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. High-quality vinyl effect frames, when reinforced properly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, however I avoid them for extremely broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look gorgeous in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful upkeep and wise flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Try stormproof windows and doors to find powder-coated finishes ranked for coastal exposure, and request written guarantee details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the crux. 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 cinder block construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into solid trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply visual. An appropriately sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, flexible seal that manages thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it cures inadequately. On seaside jobs, I never ever pair different metals without a barrier, and I constantly define corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 years later on, you will see who took shortcuts.
Flashing is the other non-negotiable. Pan flashing at sills, self-adhered membranes at jambs and heads, and combination with the water-resistive barrier are important. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That wetness might disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty smell two hurricane seasons later.
I have nothing versus well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are maintained and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels stored carefully can safeguard homes efficiently. They likewise assist in specific cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget plan is tight sometimes lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if coupling with impact doors and windows somewhere else stresses 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 require action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. During Typhoon Irma, I watched a neighbor attempt to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested 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 in time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who want to set it and forget it, impact windows provide typhoon proof windows coverage while protecting daytime and view. The benefit grows important once you've experienced one storm season with zero prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat two fights: latent load from humidity and practical load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best coating stacks, you can block a large portion of radiant heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated systems comes mostly from the interlayer itself, which normally 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 a/c crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by lowering nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to room temperature level, which decreases condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat enters. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it means accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show extreme light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to contemporary low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside surfaces, and an effectively sized variable-speed a/c, and you start to build durability. If the grid decreases 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 file you request for. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures tested. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a display room. Verify the NOA matches the exact model and choices you are purchasing, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building code windows can count on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of top makers carry both. Where spending plans enable, I choose NOA items even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not inform you effect performance, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, window warranty and air leak. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has actually balanced 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. Set up costs differ with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the home for 5 years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you prepare to offer within a year and require to show compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless housings glide smoother and last longer on sandy patios. Look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems need to be crafted 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 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 coatings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern-day homes, but in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside direct exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts frequently require profiles that simulate 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 professional knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of approved items for harmony. They also appreciate noise control in between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Avenue or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated choices. Work 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 unit that looks tough in a display room fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not count on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, favorable and unfavorable pressures, and mullion combinations if any.
The best jobs begin with a measured survey and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. During proposition, the specialist 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 repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On install day, they get rid of one opening at a time to keep your home safe. They protect floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to maintain interior surfaces. New units get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They picture anchors for the permit file, especially if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to confirm drainage courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with 2 fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can split under serious effects, but it should remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you might see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Replace 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 replacement for an evaluated, anchored system. Your insurer 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 importance of an effectively sized a/c with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your HVAC pro to examine practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is simple but not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little habits extend lifespan.
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There are genuine factors to mix services. A pair of seldom used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a brand-new roofing system deck attachment or a fortified garage door. Shutters can also safeguard outside kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you choose shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Appoint duty for implementation and practice once outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to find you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about making it through the big one. They improve daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioner 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 concentrate on people rather than panels.
For many of my clients, that intangible is the choosing element. They know storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, select the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that respects the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: defense that never requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.