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 stock up, and the ritual of transporting ladders to install panels. After 20 years defining, setting up, and troubleshooting building envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I've seen what holds up and what doesn't. When the objective is genuine security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows exceed shutters in manner ins which exceed storm day. They alter how a home feels in August, how peaceful 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 practical look at why many South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to read the standards behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Division sets among the most difficult benchmarks in the country for developing elements exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular laboratory tests that mimic genuine cyclone conditions.
First comes big missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is shot at the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roof tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the exact same unit faces cyclic pressure loading, countless pressurization and depressurization cycles that mimic fast wind gusts over hours. If the glass remains in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction in between "meets Florida building regulations windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" frequently resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is merely stiffer, especially in High Velocity Typhoon Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind ratings differ by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I often specify units rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more protected direct exposures, scores 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 exposure at the 2nd story needs different 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 much 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 projection track tightens up, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in place. You get continuous protection, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on United States 1. You also get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated impact glass is basically a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, generally PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, I've measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, in some cases more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass resists forced entry. A burglar can shatter the external lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They fulfill a sticky, persistent membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies typically provide credits for impact doors and windows. In my projects, premiums usually drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with contemporary low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That suggests less air conditioning demand, particularly on west and south direct exposures where the afternoon sun punishes interiors. In one Coral Gables retrofit, we replaced 1980s single-pane sliders with laminated low-E effect units. Summertime afternoon peak load visited roughly a ton of cooling, and the home's yearly electricity use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Outcomes vary with shading, attic insulation, and heating and cooling efficiency, however the instructions is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, however not all laminated items are equal.
Most domestic cyclone 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 include weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, permitting thinner sections to achieve greater design pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas modify the polymer to better absorb noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up frequently in conversations since tempered glass is more powerful in flexing than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are typically used as the external or inner ply in an effect unit. But tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it stops working, it blows up into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The effect performance comes from laminated building and construction, not tempering by itself. Lots of systems use a tempered external lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, however constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida typically 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, particularly in larger openings. The sweet spot depends on your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I frequently tighten SHGC and accept a small tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor greater noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here due to the fact that they deal with big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy gap with vinyl. High-quality vinyl effect frames, when enhanced effectively, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating worths, but I prevent them for extremely wide sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look gorgeous in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand mindful maintenance and wise flashing. The Florida sun damages inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Look for powder-coated finishes ranked for seaside direct exposure, and demand written service warranty information in salt-air environments.
Window installation can make or break efficiency. A costly system set up 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 then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block building and construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells should be grouted or you need to hit the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws should bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not just aesthetic. An appropriately sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a long lasting, versatile seal that manages thermal expansion. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it remedies improperly. On seaside tasks, I never ever pair different 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 count on sealant alone, water will find its method. That wetness might not show up as a drip. It might rot a sill hurricane impact windows plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy smell two typhoon seasons later.
I have absolutely nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even removable panels kept carefully can protect homes effectively. They likewise assist in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals impact-resistant glass where budget is tight often lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for safeguarded openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom used in summertime, a tidy motorized roll-down can be affordable, specifically if coupling with effect windows and doors somewhere else worries the spending plan. For homeowners who prepare to move within a year, shutters can be a short bridge to compliance before a sale.
But shutters bring compromises. They darken your home when deployed, and they need action at precisely the time you are managing insurance documents, gas cans, and household logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I saw a neighbor try to install 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 space. He survived with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters likewise rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, often loosening up fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, impact windows give hurricane evidence windows coverage while maintaining daytime and view. The convenience grows valuable once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no preparation beyond locking the sash.
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South Florida homes fight two battles: latent load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can help both if specified intelligently.
Low-E effect glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to show infrared energy while letting noticeable light through. With the best finishing stacks, you can block a big portion of convected heat and UV. UV clog in laminated systems comes largely from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of materials and flooring. Add the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your a/c insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with 3 numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by reducing nighttime heat flow and keeping the interior glass temperature closer to space temperature level, which lowers condensation risk. SHGC drives just how much solar heat enters. VT influences how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is key. Some house owners want the crisp, clear appearance of higher VT, even if it implies accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, since their landscaping and roofing system overhangs currently do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that show harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed systems can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored outside finishes, and an effectively sized variable-speed a/c, and you begin to develop 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 Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the file you request. It information the authorized configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Validate the NOA matches the exact design and options you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing workplace will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system supplies FL numbers that show code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Velocity Typhoon Zone, Florida building regulations windows can count on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Many top makers bring both. Where budgets permit, I choose NOA items even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not tell you impact performance, however they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Go for air leak at or below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is better for humidity control, however make certain your home still has balanced ventilation. aluminum impact doors Sealing the envelope and neglecting fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up costs vary with size, shape, finish, and gain access to. On simple single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for standard sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade surfaces installation cost impact windows raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover value:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math often tilts in favor of impact windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of peace of mind. If you plan to offer within a year and require to reveal compliance quickly, 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 real estates glide smoother and last longer on sandy patio areas. Take a look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems need to be engineered to drain pipes heavy rains without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to Financing for impact windows see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than style. Reflective films can run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding homes. In seaside environments, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros know which finishings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames look great on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishes offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for coastal direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, but lead times lengthen and costs climb. Expect additional review by architectural boards, and line up a contractor familiar with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often define a narrow list of authorized items for harmony. They likewise appreciate sound control in between systems. If your structure sits directly on Collins Opportunity or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Work with structure management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and limited 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 strong in a showroom meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor balcony. Do not rely on catalog optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that correspond to your site's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The best jobs start with a measured study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and determine any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. During proposal, the contractor reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They prepare for stucco or drywall repair work, not pretend no damage will occur.
On set up 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 bring out 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 photograph 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 neat 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 secret rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller change after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact ranking 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 might see star fractures or spidering. The window did its task. Replace the sash or IGU after the event.
Window movies do not transform non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and building department will not count films as protected openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows reduce air leak. That's fantastic, however it increases the significance of a correctly sized a/c with good dehumidification. If your system is large, the thermostat pleases quickly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine reasonable heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire steady, longer cycles, not short bursts.
Maintenance is uncomplicated but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware every year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small practices extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to blend solutions. A set of hardly ever used garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with very little sun direct 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 likewise protect outdoor cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age fancy hardware prematurely.
If you select shutters, invest in quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook bypasses for roll-downs make a difference. Appoint obligation for implementation and practice as soon as beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you need 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish to discover you have 29.
Impact windows are not only about surviving the huge one. They improve daily living. The living room remains cooler and quieter. The air conditioning 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 typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on individuals instead of panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the choosing aspect. They understand storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that only wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows provide you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our method September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to create pressures, select the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a team that appreciates the load course. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows provide what shutters can not: protection that never requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.