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 two decades defining, installing, and troubleshooting structure envelopes from Secret Largo to Palm Beach, I have actually seen what holds up and what does not. When the goal is real security with year-round convenience, Miami-Dade approved, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform shutters in ways that go beyond storm day. They change how a home feels in August, how peaceful your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up quicker than predicted.
This is a useful look at why numerous South Florida homeowners are moving from shutters to cyclone impact-resistant windows, how to check out the standards behind "Miami-Dade approved," what products matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets among the toughest criteria in the nation for constructing parts exposed to windborne debris. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through specific laboratory tests that replicate real typhoon conditions.
First comes large missile impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing system tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the very same system faces cyclic pressure buy hurricane proof windows loading, countless 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 between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically resides in these test limits. Miami-Dade is simply stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores vary by opening size and design pressures, represented as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently define systems ranked at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more secured exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF range can suffice, however you size and spec based upon the website's wind map, developing height, and surrounding structures. A professional understands that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands various reinforcement than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can fulfill 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 forecast track tightens, the last thing you desire is a ladder, a dead cordless drill, and a missing wing nut.
Impact windows reside in location. You get constant security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You also get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated advantage. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resilient interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On tasks along busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I've measured interior sound drops in the 5 to 10 decibel range, sometimes more when coupled with insulated glass units.
Security enhances since laminated glass resists forced entry. A robber can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They satisfy a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a quick path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies often use credits for impact doors and windows. In my jobs, premiums typically drop 10 to 25 percent, depending on the provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the third pillar. Energy-efficient impact windows with contemporary low-E effect glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving noticeable light. That implies less cooling demand, especially 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. Summertime afternoon peak load stopped by approximately a lots of cooling, and the home's annual electrical energy use fell between 12 and 18 percent. Results vary with shading, attic insulation, and a/c performance, but the direction is consistent.
Laminated effect glass is the heart of the system, but not all laminated products are equal.
Most property typhoon windows utilize a PVB interlayer glass stack, commonly 0.030 to 0.090 inches thick in single or multiple plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, but they add weight and cost. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, allowing thinner areas to accomplish greater style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to better take in sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows show up often in conversations because tempered glass is more powerful in bending than annealed glass. That's true, and tempered lites are frequently utilized as the outer or inner ply in an impact unit. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the hurricane sense. When it fails, it explodes into small cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening susceptible. The effect efficiency comes 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 constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E finishes matter for comfort. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida normally targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 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 larger openings. The sweet spot depends upon your exterior orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I often tighten SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward greater visible transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here because they handle large openings and won't swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Premium vinyl impact frames, when strengthened appropriately, can perform well for standard-sized openings and have much better insulating values, however I avoid them for very wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad systems look lovely in older Mediterranean Revival homes, however they demand cautious upkeep and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys cheap vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum surfaces quickly. Try to find powder-coated finishes rated for coastal direct exposure, and request composed service warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break performance. A costly unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's stress test. The load course is the core. Effect forces need to travel from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and after that into the structure's framing or masonry.
In concrete block construction, you desire stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong material. Hollow cells must be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed houses, structural screws need to bite into strong trimmers, not just sheathing. Shimming and plumb alignment matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and top quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant develop a long lasting, flexible seal that manages thermal expansion. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too big and it treatments improperly. On seaside jobs, I never ever pair dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always define 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 vital. If you depend on sealant alone, water will find its method. That moisture may not show up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling floor or a musty odor 2 typhoon seasons later.
I have nothing versus properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are preserved and lubricated, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept carefully can safeguard homes successfully. They also help in certain cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget is tight in some cases lean on shutters to satisfy the Florida building regulations windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is hardly ever used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be affordable, especially if pairing with impact windows and doors somewhere else stresses the budget. For homeowners who plan 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 deployed, and they need action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance documents, gas cans, and household logistics. Throughout Hurricane Irma, I viewed a neighbor try to mount steel panels hours before landfall. The ladder sank in saturated soil, a panel slipped, and we invested the next hour in the urgent care waiting room. He made it through with stitches. His living room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under sustained winds, sometimes loosening up fasteners gradually if not maintained.
For long-term owners who want to set it and forget it, effect windows offer hurricane proof windows coverage while protecting daylight and view. The convenience grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with zero preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat two battles: latent load from humidity and reasonable load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E effect glass uses microscopically thin metal layers to show infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal finish stacks, you can block a large part of radiant 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 fabrics and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioning crazy midafternoon.
I assess glass specs with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still assists here by lowering nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to room temperature level, which reduces condensation threat. SHGC drives how much solar heat goes into. VT influences how bright the interior feels. Balance is key. Some house owners desire the crisp, clear look of higher VT, even if it means accepting a couple of degrees more heat in late afternoon, due to the fact that their landscaping and roofing overhangs currently do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterside lots that show severe light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern low-E laminated double-glazed units can decrease peak solar gains by 30 to 50 percent on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and a properly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you begin to construct durability. If the grid decreases and you change to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller sized generator and less gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the file you ask for. It information the approved configurations, sizes, anchors, and pressures evaluated. It is not enough to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a showroom. Confirm the NOA matches the precise model and choices you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you remain in Broward or Miami-Dade, your allowing office will desire this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the rest of the state outside the High Speed Hurricane Zone, Florida building regulations windows can rely on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade specific NOAs. Lots of leading producers carry both. Where spending plans enable, I prefer NOA products even outside the zone because the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels handle energy metrics. They will not inform you impact performance, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Go for air leakage at or listed below 0.3 cfm/ft TWO. Tighter is much better for humidity control, but make sure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and overlooking fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more upfront than shutters. There's no spin around that. Set up expenses vary with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On straightforward single-family homes, per-opening expenses often land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Large multi-panel sliders, customized arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and need to reveal compliance rapidly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take notice of hardware and devices. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings enhance seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates slide smoother and last longer on sandy outdoor patios. Look at the sill style on sliding doors. Weep systems must 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 run afoul of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare towards neighboring homes. In coastal environments, highly reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which coatings balance efficiency with compliance.
Color stability is a big offer. Dark bronze or black frames buy Boca Raton impact windows look wonderful on modern-day homes, however in Florida sun inexpensive surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coatings provide the best color retention and chalk resistance. I define them for seaside direct exposures whenever spending plans allow.
Historic districts often need profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect extra review by architectural boards, and line up a specialist knowledgeable about these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations in some cases specify a narrow list of authorized items for uniformity. They also care about noise control in between units. If your structure sits directly on Collins Avenue or deals with a hectic beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with structure 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, require special attention in style pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every system that looks tough in a display room meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not depend on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, positive and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest jobs begin with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposal, the specialist reveals you the NOA and the Florida Product 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 set up day, they eliminate one opening at a time to keep the house secure. They protect floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to preserve interior finishes. 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, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to verify drainage paths and seals. The inspector sees a neat jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite efficiently, and there is no mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not have to require a roller modification after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can break under severe effects, but it must remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends particles into the glass, you may see star fractures or spidering. The window did its job. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not convert non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can add shatter resistance, however they do not alternative to a checked, anchored system. Your insurer and building department will not count movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows reduce air leakage. That's excellent, but it increases the significance of a properly sized heating and cooling with great dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat pleases rapidly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to check practical heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You desire consistent, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lube hardware each year with a silicone-based product that will not gum up in heat. Small habits extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to blend solutions. A set of rarely utilized garage windows can keep removable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set patio with minimal sun exposure may do fine with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roofing deck accessory or a prepared garage door. Shutters can likewise secure outside cooking areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.

If you select shutters, buy quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Assign obligation for implementation and practice when outside of a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the morning you wish to find 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 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 concentrate on individuals instead of panels.
For a number of my clients, that intangible is the deciding element. They understand storms will come. They also understand life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows give you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, begin with a site-specific evaluation. Match your exposures to design pressures, choose the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and employ a crew that respects the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient effect windows provide what shutters can not: protection that never ever requests for a ladder and a better home every day of the year.