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 ritual of carrying ladders to install panels. After twenty years specifying, setting up, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Key Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the goal is real security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform shutters in manner ins which go beyond storm day. They change how a house 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 useful look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Department sets one financing impact windows of the hardest criteria in the country for developing parts exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker label. It is made through specific lab tests that replicate genuine hurricane conditions.
First comes large rocket 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 very same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that simulate fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction in between "satisfies Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" typically lives in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, especially in High Speed Typhoon Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings differ by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be sufficient, but you size and spec based on the site's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. An expert understands that a corner exposure at the second story demands various support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs effect windows is not a one-to-one contrast. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're much better than nothing. But they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a caution and the projection track tightens up, the last thing you want is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows live in location. You get continuous security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You likewise 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, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, often more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves since laminated glass resists required entry. An intruder can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, however the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a fast course inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies frequently provide credits for impact windows and doors. In my tasks, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the carrier and how many openings are protected.
Energy efficiency is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient effect windows with modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while maintaining visible light. That means less a/c demand, specifically on west and south exposures where the afternoon sun penalizes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect units. Summer season afternoon peak load dropped by approximately a ton of cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes differ with shading, attic insulation, and HVAC efficiency, but the instructions is consistent.
Laminated impact glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.

Most property typhoon windows use a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or numerous plies. Thicker interlayers improve effect resistance and sound control, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or tall openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner sections to achieve greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulations fine-tune 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 turn up often in discussions because tempered glass is more powerful in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently used as the external or inner ply in an effect system. However 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 susceptible. The effect efficiency comes from laminated construction, 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 finishings 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 50 percent or higher. Go too low on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet area depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten up SHGC and accept a minor tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.

Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here because they manage big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Top quality vinyl effect frames, when strengthened properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, but I prevent them for extremely broad sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look beautiful in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces rapidly. Search for powder-coated surfaces rated for seaside direct exposure, and request composed service warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. An expensive unit set up like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the core. Impact forces have to take a trip from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In cinder block building, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into solid material. Hollow cells should be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to happen. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into strong 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 appropriately sized backer rod and premium polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, flexible seal that handles thermal growth. Too small a hurricane window cost bead and it tears under motion. Too big and it treatments poorly. On seaside tasks, I never pair 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 important. 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 gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy odor 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing versus well-designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and oiled, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept thoroughly can secure homes effectively. They likewise help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building regulations windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summer season, a clean motorized roll-down can be reasonable, specifically if pairing with effect windows and doors elsewhere worries the spending plan. For house 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 home when released, and they need action at specifically the time you are handling insurance documents, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Typhoon Irma, I saw a next-door neighbor try to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we spent the next hour in the immediate care waiting space. He made it through with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, often loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-lasting owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows provide hurricane proof windows protection while preserving daylight and view. The convenience grows important once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes fight 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the right covering stacks, you can obstruct a large portion of convected heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated systems comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, reducing fading of materials and flooring. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your AC insane midafternoon.
I examine 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 circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature, which reduces condensation danger. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how bright the interior feels. Balance is crucial. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it indicates accepting a few degrees more heat in late afternoon, because their landscaping and roof overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show severe light.
In practical 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 exterior finishes, and an effectively sized variable-speed a/c, and you start to build durability. If the grid goes down and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load implies a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.

Miami-Dade Notice of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask 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. Verify the NOA matches the exact model and options you are purchasing, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are 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 remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of top producers bring both. Where spending plans enable, I prefer NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They won't inform you impact performance, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, however make sure your home still has stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up expenses differ with size, shape, finish, and access. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening expenses 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 prepare to own the home for five years or more, the math frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on sashes and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates move 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 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 style. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards surrounding homes. In seaside ecosystems, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Local pros know which finishes balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a big deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun cheap finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings offer the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts often require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Expect extra evaluation by architectural boards, and line up a professional acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of authorized items for uniformity. They likewise appreciate noise control in between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Opportunity or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with building management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need special attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks sturdy in a showroom fulfills the wind loads on a ninth-floor veranda. Do not depend on catalog maximum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest tasks begin with a measured study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, 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 get rid of one opening at a time to keep your house secure. They protect floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with 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 photograph anchors for the license file, specifically if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drain paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat 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 secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to call for a roller adjustment after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under extreme effects, but it should remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not convert non-impact windows into hurricane impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not substitute for a checked, anchored system. Your insurance provider and structure department will not count films as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leakage. That's great, but it increases the value of an appropriately sized a/c with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want constant, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware annually with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine reasons to mix solutions. A pair of seldom utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget plan. A deep-set porch with very little sun exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roofing deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also protect outside kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age elegant hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual bypasses for roll-downs make a distinction. Designate obligation for release and practice when beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the morning you want to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about surviving the big one. They reshape daily living. The living-room remains cooler and quieter. The a/c cycles calmly rather 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 focus on people instead of panels.
For many of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They understand storms will come. They likewise know life in South Florida is too good to live inside a fortress that only wakes up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, choose the best laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a crew that respects the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never requests for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.