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 routine of hauling ladders to install panels. After 20 years specifying, installing, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what does not. When the objective is real defense with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows outperform shutters in manner ins which exceed storm day. They change how a home feels in August, how peaceful 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 practical look at why many South Florida house 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 Department sets one of the hardest criteria in the nation for building parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular lab tests that simulate real cyclone conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the impact, the exact same system faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that mimic rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "fulfills Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Speed Cyclone Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings vary by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I often specify systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be sufficient, however you size and spec based upon the website's wind map, constructing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner exposure at the second story demands various 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 work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the projection track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get constant protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps noise. On jobs along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've determined interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances due to the fact that laminated glass withstands required entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters understand this, which is why policies often provide credits for effect doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the carrier and the number of openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while protecting visible light. That indicates less cooling 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 effect units. Summer season afternoon peak load come by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electrical power usage fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC effectiveness, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated products are equal.
Most residential typhoon windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, typically 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, however they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to achieve greater design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulations tweak the polymer to much better soak up sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up frequently in discussions because tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are frequently utilized as the external or inner ply in an effect system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it stops working, it takes off into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect performance originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems use a tempered external lite laminated to a hardened inner lite, or both tempered, however always bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings 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 variety while keeping visible light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, specifically in larger openings. The sweet area depends upon your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle 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 big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and enhanced glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Top quality vinyl effect frames, when reinforced correctly, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, however I prevent them for really broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they require mindful maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Look for powder-coated surfaces rated for seaside direct exposure, and demand composed service warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load course is the essence. Impact forces need to travel from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells need to be grouted or you require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed homes, structural screws should bite into solid trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage cleanly and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. An effectively sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant produce a resilient, versatile seal that deals with thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments inadequately. On seaside jobs, I never match dissimilar 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 essential. If you depend on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That moisture might disappoint up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a moldy odor 2 hurricane seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept thoroughly can protect homes efficiently. They likewise assist in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight in some cases lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows vinyl impact windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely utilized in summer season, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, specifically if pairing with impact doors and windows in other places stresses the budget plan. For homeowners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring trade-offs. They darken your home when deployed, and they require action at specifically the time you are managing insurance coverage documents, gas cans, and family logistics. Throughout Hurricane 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 immediate care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also 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 protection while protecting daylight and view. The benefit grows important once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes battle two fights: hidden load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the best covering stacks, you can block a large part of radiant 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 floor covering. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your AC crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specifications with 3 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 lowers condensation threat. SHGC drives how much solar heat goes into. VT influences how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some property owners want the crisp, clear appearance of greater VT, even if it suggests accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roofing overhangs already do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterfront lots that reflect 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 half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior surfaces, and a properly sized variable-speed heating and cooling, and you start to build resilience. If the grid goes down and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Acceptance, or NOA, is the file you request for. It details the approved setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is inadequate to hear "these are Miami-Dade approved windows" in a showroom. Validate the NOA matches the exact design and options you are purchasing, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system provides FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Speed Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Item Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Many leading makers bring both. Where budgets enable, I choose NOA products even outside the zone due to the fact that the screening is stiffer.
security glass windowsNFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not inform you impact efficiency, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make certain your home still has stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and ignoring fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up costs differ with size, shape, finish, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening expenses typically land in 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 recover worth:
If you plan to own the home for five years or more, the mathematics often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance rapidly, 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 glide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Take a look at the sill design on moving doors. Weep systems need to 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 style. Reflective movies can run afoul of neighborhood watch or produce mirror-like glare toward neighboring homes. In coastal communities, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which coverings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, but in Florida sun cheap surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal exposures whenever budget plans allow.
Historic districts frequently require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen 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 in some cases define a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They likewise care about sound control between units. If your building sits directly on Collins Opportunity or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with building 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 special attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks durable in a display room fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not count on catalog maximum sizes. Use the NOA tables that represent your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest projects start with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item 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 eliminate one opening at a time to keep your house protected. They protect floors, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring out care to protect interior finishes. 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 license file, particularly if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to confirm drain courses and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and documentation 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 call for a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can split under extreme effects, but it needs to stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends debris into the glass, you may 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 alternative to a tested, anchored system. Your insurer and building department will not count movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's fantastic, however it increases the value of a properly sized a/c with great dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your heating and cooling pro to inspect reasonable heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Small routines extend lifespan.
There are legitimate reasons to mix solutions. A pair of seldom used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure may 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 protect outdoor kitchens or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign duty for deployment and practice when beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the early morning you want to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not just about surviving the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioning cycles calmly instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind 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 people instead of panels.
For much of my clients, that intangible is the choosing element. They understand storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that just wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to design pressures, select the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that respects the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: security that never ever asks for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.