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 neighbors track tropical waves, the pre-storm rush to stockpile, and the routine of transporting ladders to mount panels. After twenty years specifying, setting up, and fixing building 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 approved, energy‑efficient impact windows outperform shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They alter how a house 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 practical take a look at why numerous South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to hurricane impact-resistant Boca Raton hurricane-resistant windows windows, how to read the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the installation right the first time.
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Miami-Dade County's Product Control Department sets professional window installation Boca Raton one of the hardest standards in the country for developing parts exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is made through specific laboratory tests that mimic real hurricane conditions.
First comes large rocket impact. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at roughly 34 miles per hour. That simulates roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the exact same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate rapid wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The distinction in between "satisfies Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade approved windows" typically resides in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, particularly in High Velocity Typhoon Zone requirements, that include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind scores vary by opening size and style pressures, signified as PSF worths. On ocean-facing residential or commercial properties or high-rises, I typically specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or greater. Inland or in more safeguarded exposures, ratings in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can suffice, however you size and spec based on the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. An expert knows that a corner direct exposure at the second story demands different support than a protected window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can meet code, and they're better than absolutely nothing. However they ask you to do work at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning and the forecast 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 US 1. You likewise get benefits every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated effect glass is essentially a sandwich: two panes of glass bonded by a resistant interlayer, usually PVB interlayer glass or SentryGlas. That interlayer damps sound. On jobs along hectic passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight paths, I have actually measured interior noise drops in the 5 to 10 decibel variety, in some cases more when paired with insulated glass units.
Security improves because laminated glass withstands forced entry. A burglar can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the fragments. They meet a sticky, stubborn membrane rather of a fast path inside. Insurance underwriters know this, which is why policies typically use credits for effect windows and doors. 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 modern low-E impact glass and warm-edge spacers can cut solar heat gain while preserving visible light. That implies less a/c demand, 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 impact systems. Summer season 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 HVAC effectiveness, however the instructions 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 several plies. Thicker interlayers enhance impact resistance and sound control, but they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you may see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and stronger than PVB, allowing thinner areas to accomplish higher design pressures. For noise-sensitive websites, acoustic PVB formulas tweak the polymer to better take in noise in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz range, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up typically in conversations due to the fact that 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 effect system. However tempered alone is not impact-resistant in the typhoon sense. When it stops working, it explodes into little cubes and falls out of the frame, which leaves the opening vulnerable. The impact efficiency comes from laminated building, not tempering by itself. Many systems use a tempered outer lite laminated to an annealed inner lite, or both tempered, but constantly bonded through a PVB or ionoplast interlayer.
Low-E coatings matter for comfort. 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 short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in bigger openings. The sweet spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten SHGC and accept a minor tint to handle early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I lean toward higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames control here because they manage big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have actually narrowed the energy space with vinyl. Top quality vinyl impact frames, when enhanced properly, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating worths, but I avoid them for really wide sliders or high storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require cautious maintenance and clever flashing. The Florida sun destroys low-cost vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes quickly. Look for powder-coated finishes rated for coastal direct exposure, and request composed warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break performance. A costly system installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load course is the core. Impact forces have to travel from the glass through the frame, to the anchors, into the substrate, and then into the structure's framing or masonry.
In cinder block construction, you want stainless or hot-dipped galvanized anchors embedded into strong product. Hollow cells must be grouted or you need to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to take place. In wood-framed homes, structural screws need to 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 high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a durable, flexible seal that deals with thermal growth. Too little a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it treatments improperly. On seaside jobs, I never ever match dissimilar metals without a barrier, and I always specify corrosion-resistant fasteners. 10 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 combination with the water-resistive barrier are crucial. If you count on sealant alone, water will discover its method. That wetness may not show up as a drip. It might rot a sill plate slowly, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy odor two cyclone seasons later.
I have nothing against properly designed shutters. Accordion shutters that are kept and lubed, roll-down shutters with battery backups, and even detachable panels kept thoroughly can protect homes successfully. They also help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal leasings where budget is tight sometimes lean on shutters to fulfill the Florida building code windows requirement for protected openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is seldom used in summer, a clean motorized roll-down can be sensible, particularly if coupling with impact doors and windows elsewhere worries the spending plan. For homeowners who plan to move within a year, shutters can be a brief bridge to compliance before a sale.
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But shutters bring compromises. They darken your house when released, and they require action at specifically the time you are managing insurance papers, gas cans, and household logistics. During Cyclone Irma, I watched a next-door neighbor attempt to install 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 room. He survived with stitches. His living-room window did not. Shutters also rattle and can vibrate under continual winds, in some cases 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 protecting daytime and view. The benefit grows important once you've experienced one storm season with absolutely no preparation beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: latent load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Impact glass upgrades can assist both if specified intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metallic layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal coating stacks, you can block a big part of radiant heat and UV. UV blockage in laminated units comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, minimizing fading of fabrics and flooring. Include the low-E, and you curb the solar heat that drives your air conditioner insane midafternoon.
I examine glass specs with three numbers: U-factor, SHGC, and VT. While U-factor matters more up north, it still helps here by lowering nighttime heat circulation and keeping the interior glass temperature level closer to space temperature, which lowers condensation danger. SHGC drives just how much solar heat goes into. VT affects how brilliant the interior feels. Balance is essential. Some homeowners 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 system overhangs already do some shading. Others prefer a stronger tint for glare control on waterside lots that reflect harsh light.
In useful terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed units can reduce peak solar gains by 30 to half on the most exposed sides. Couple that with tuned overhangs, light-colored exterior finishes, and a properly sized variable-speed HVAC, and you start to build strength. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load suggests a smaller sized generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, or NOA, is the document you request 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 display room. Confirm the NOA matches the exact design and choices you are buying, consisting of the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Product Approval system supplies FL numbers that 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. Many leading manufacturers bring both. Where budget plans allow, I choose NOA items even outside the zone since the screening is stiffer.
NFRC labels deal with energy metrics. They will not inform you effect efficiency, however they show U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leak. Aim for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is better for humidity control, but ensure your home still has stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a recipe for indoor air quality complaints.
Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's no spin around that. Installed costs differ with size, shape, finish, and access. On simple single-family homes, per-opening expenses frequently land in between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom-made arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recover worth:
If you plan to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the mathematics frequently tilts in favor of effect windows, particularly when you factor the intangible of comfort. If you prepare to sell within a year and require to show compliance quickly, shutters may make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I pay attention to hardware and accessories. Multi-point locks on casements and awnings improve seal compression and security. For sliders, robust tandem rollers in stainless real estates move smoother and last longer on sandy patios. Take a look at the sill style on moving 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 watch or produce mirror-like glare toward neighboring homes. In coastal environments, extremely reflective glass can confuse birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishings balance performance with compliance.
Color stability is a huge offer. Dark bronze or black frames look fantastic on modern homes, however in Florida sun low-cost surfaces chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated finishings provide the best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside direct exposures whenever budget plans allow.
Historic districts typically require profiles that imitate old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Expect additional review by architectural boards, and line up a specialist acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations sometimes define a narrow list of approved products for harmony. They also appreciate noise control between units. If your structure sits straight on Collins Avenue or deals with a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated alternatives. Deal with structure management on staging and lift access. Weekend work windows and restricted parking can add days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, require unique attention in design pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks strong in a display room meets the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not rely on brochure optimum sizes. Utilize the NOA tables that represent your website's zone, favorable and negative pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest jobs start with a determined study and direct exposure analysis. You map each opening, keep in mind the substrate, and identify any framing abnormalities or settlement fractures. Throughout proposition, the specialist shows you the NOA and the Florida Product Approval, notes anchor types, and explains 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 remove one opening at a time to keep your house secure. They protect floorings, draw back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames bring Boca Raton hurricane proof window installation out care to maintain interior surfaces. New systems get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The team checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the authorization file, specifically if they will be concealed. After glazing, they water-test with a regulated spray to confirm drainage courses and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and paperwork in order.
Six months later, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no secret rattle during thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller adjustment after the very first week. That is the standard.
Impact rating does not equal breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under extreme effects, but it should stay in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out debris into the glass, you might see star cracks or spidering. The window did its task. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films 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 movies as safeguarded openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient impact windows decrease air leakage. That's excellent, but it increases the importance of an effectively sized heating and cooling with great dehumidification. If your system is oversized, the thermostat satisfies rapidly and stops working to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to inspect reasonable heat ratio, air flow, and run time. You want steady, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is straightforward however not optional. Tidy weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and lubricate hardware each year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are legitimate factors to mix services. A pair of hardly ever used garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave spending plan. A deep-set deck with minimal sun exposure may do great with accordion shutters if you prioritize other upgrades like a brand-new roofing deck attachment 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 buy impact windows shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with handbook overrides for roll-downs make a difference. Assign obligation for implementation and practice once beyond a storm watch. Inventory your hardware. The day you require 32 wing nuts is not the early 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 instead of racing at 4 p.m. You sleep without freight trains of wind sound when a squall line passes at 2 a.m. When a typhoon threatens, your preparation list gets shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and concentrate on people rather than panels.
For many of my customers, that intangible is the choosing factor. They understand storms will come. They likewise understand life in South Florida is too great to live inside a fortress that only wakes up in August. Miami-Dade authorized windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February morning and quiet self-confidence when the spaghetti models point our way in September.
If you are weighing the option, start with a site-specific evaluation. Match your direct exposures to create pressures, pick the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, select frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and hire a team that respects the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows deliver what shutters can not: protection that never ever asks for a ladder and a much better home every day of the year.