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 stock up, and the routine of transporting ladders to install panels. After two decades specifying, 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 real security with year-round comfort, Miami-Dade authorized, energy‑efficient effect windows outshine shutters in manner ins which surpass storm day. They alter how a house feels in August, how quiet your living room remains on a Saturday night, and how confident you are when a storm line spins up much faster than predicted.
This is a useful take a look at why lots of South Florida property owners are moving from shutters to typhoon impact-resistant windows, how to check out the requirements behind "Miami-Dade authorized," what materials matter, and how to get the setup right the very first time.
Miami-Dade County's Item Control Division sets among the hardest criteria in the nation for constructing elements exposed to windborne particles. Approval is not a marketing sticker. It is earned through particular lab tests that simulate genuine typhoon conditions.
First comes big rocket effect. A 9-pound 2x4 is contended the glass at approximately 34 miles per hour. That mimics roofing tiles, branches, or pieces of fencing that fly in the eyewall. After the effect, the same system deals with cyclic pressure loading, thousands of pressurization and depressurization cycles that imitate quick wind gusts over hours. If the glass stays in the frame without letting the envelope breach, it passes. The difference in between "meets Florida building code windows" and "Miami-Dade authorized windows" often lives in these test thresholds. Miami-Dade is just stiffer, especially in High Speed Hurricane Zone requirements, which include Miami-Dade and Broward.
Wind rankings vary by opening size and style pressures, denoted as PSF values. On ocean-facing properties or high-rises, I frequently specify systems rated at +60/ -80 PSF or higher. Inland or in more protected direct exposures, scores in the +45/ -60 PSF variety can be adequate, however you size and specification based upon the website's wind map, building height, and surrounding structures. A professional knows that a corner direct exposure at the 2nd story demands different support than a sheltered window under a deep porch.
Hurricane shutters vs impact windows is not a one-to-one comparison. Shutters can satisfy code, and they're better than nothing. But they ask you to do operate at the worst possible time. When a watch turns to a warning 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 constant security, even if a pop-up storm surprises you while you're stuck on US 1. You likewise get advantages every day of the year.
Noise control is the most underappreciated benefit. Laminated impact 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 busy passages like Biscayne Boulevard or near flight courses, 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 enhances since laminated glass withstands required entry. An intruder can shatter the outer lite with a hammer, but the interlayer holds the shards. They fulfill a sticky, stubborn membrane instead of a fast path inside. Insurance coverage underwriters understand this, commercial window installation which is why policies typically offer credits for effect doors and windows. In my tasks, premiums normally drop 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the provider and how many openings are protected.
Energy performance is the 3rd 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 need, especially 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 impact units. Summer afternoon peak load dropped by roughly a lots of cooling, and the home's yearly electricity use fell in between 12 and 18 percent. Results 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 products are equal.
Most domestic hurricane windows utilize 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, however they add weight and expense. For oceanfront or high openings, you might see SGP (ionoplast) interlayers, which are stiffer and more powerful than PVB, enabling thinner areas to achieve higher style pressures. For noise-sensitive sites, acoustic PVB solutions tweak the polymer to much better soak up sound in the 1,000 to 3,000 Hz variety, where traffic and voices sit.
Tempered glass windows come up often in conversations since tempered glass is stronger in bending than annealed glass. That holds true, and tempered lites are frequently utilized as the outer or inner ply in an effect system. But 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 vulnerable. The impact efficiency originates from laminated construction, not tempering by itself. Many 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 coatings matter for convenience. A soft-coat low-E tuned for South Florida usually targets a solar heat gain coefficient in the 0.25 to 0.35 variety while keeping noticeable light transmission around 50 percent or greater. Go too short on SHGC and the glass can look gray or green, especially in larger openings. The sweet spot depends on your façade orientation and shading. On east and west elevations, I typically tighten up SHGC and accept a slight tint to manage early morning and afternoon blasts. On north elevations, I favor higher noticeable transmittance for daylighting.
Frames are the other half of the story. Aluminum frames dominate here due to the fact that they manage big openings and will not swell. Thermal breaks and improved glazing gaskets have narrowed the energy space with vinyl. High-quality vinyl effect frames, when strengthened effectively, can carry out well for standard-sized openings and have better insulating values, however I avoid them for extremely large sliders or tall storefront-style windows in high-wind zones. Wood-clad units look stunning in older Mediterranean Revival homes, but they require careful upkeep and smart flashing. The Florida sun ruins inexpensive vinyl and chalks low-grade aluminum finishes rapidly. Look for powder-coated finishes ranked for seaside exposure, and demand composed warranty details in salt-air environments.
Window setup can make or break efficiency. A pricey unit installed like a handyman swap-out will not pass a storm's tension test. The load path is the essence. Impact 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 require to strike the bond beam. Tapcons in soft, unfilled block are a failure waiting to occur. In wood-framed homes, structural screws should bite into strong trimmers, not simply sheathing. Shimming and plumb positioning matter so the locks engage easily and the weatherstripping compresses evenly.
The sealant joint is not simply aesthetic. A properly sized backer rod and high-quality polyurethane or silyl-modified polymer sealant create a resilient, versatile seal that deals with thermal growth. Too small a bead and it tears under movement. Too huge and it cures poorly. On seaside jobs, I never combine different 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 vital. If you rely on sealant alone, water will discover its way in. That wetness may disappoint up as a drip. It may rot a sill plate gradually, then betray itself as a buckling flooring or a moldy odor 2 cyclone 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 saved carefully can protect homes successfully. They also help in particular cases.
Second homes or seasonal rentals where budget is tight sometimes lean on shutters to meet the Florida building code windows requirement for secured openings. On specialized openings like a lanai that is rarely used in summertime, a clean motorized roll-down can be affordable, especially if pairing with impact doors and windows somewhere else worries the budget. For property owners 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 the house when released, and they need action at exactly the time you are juggling insurance coverage papers, gas cans, and household logistics. During Hurricane Irma, I saw a next-door 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 immediate 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 fasteners with time if not maintained.
For long-term owners who wish to set it and forget it, effect windows provide typhoon evidence windows coverage while preserving daytime and view. The convenience grows important once you have actually experienced one storm season with no prep beyond locking the sash.
South Florida homes combat 2 battles: hidden load from humidity and sensible load from direct solar heat gain. Effect glass upgrades can assist both if defined intelligently.
Low-E impact glass utilizes microscopically thin metal layers to reflect infrared energy while letting visible light through. With the ideal covering stacks, you can obstruct a large part of convected heat and UV. UV obstruction in laminated systems comes mainly from the interlayer itself, which normally filters 95 to 99 percent of UV, decreasing fading of fabrics and floor covering. Include the low-E, and you suppress the solar heat that drives your air conditioning crazy midafternoon.
I evaluate glass specs 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 level closer to room temperature, which reduces condensation danger. SHGC drives how much solar heat gets in. 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 roof overhangs already do some shading. Others choose a more powerful tint for glare control on waterfront lots that reflect extreme light.
In practical terms, going from clear single-pane sliders to modern-day low-E laminated double-glazed units can minimize 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 develop strength. If the grid decreases and you switch to a generator, a lower cooling load means a smaller generator and fewer gallons of fuel.
Miami-Dade Notification of Approval, or NOA, is the file you request. It information the authorized setups, sizes, anchors, and pressures checked. It is insufficient to hear "these are Miami-Dade authorized windows" in a display room. Confirm the NOA matches the precise model and choices you are buying, including the glazing makeup and hardware. If you are in Broward or Miami-Dade, your permitting workplace will want this paper trail.
Statewide, the Florida Item Approval system offers FL numbers that reveal code compliance. In the remainder of the state outside the High Velocity Cyclone Zone, Florida building regulations windows can depend on Florida Product Approval without Miami-Dade particular NOAs. Lots of leading producers bring both. Where budget plans permit, I choose NOA products even outside the zone since the testing is stiffer.
NFRC labels manage energy metrics. They will not inform you effect performance, but they reveal U-factor, SHGC, VT, and air leakage. Aim for air leakage at or below 0.3 cfm/ft ². Tighter is much better for humidity control, however make sure your home still has actually stabilized ventilation. Sealing the envelope and disregarding fresh air is a dish for indoor air quality complaints.

Impact windows cost more in advance than shutters. There's hurricane resistant windows solutions no spin around that. Set up expenses differ with size, shape, surface, and gain access to. On uncomplicated single-family homes, per-opening costs frequently land between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars for basic sizes. Big multi-panel sliders, custom arches, and coastal-grade finishes raise the numbers quickly.
Where you recoup worth:
If you prepare to own the residential or commercial property for 5 years or more, the math typically tilts in favor of effect windows, especially when you factor the intangible of assurance. If you plan to sell within a year and require to show compliance quickly, shutters might make more short-term sense. Context matters.
I take notice of hardware and accessories. 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 design on moving doors. Weep systems should be engineered to drain heavy rainfall without letting wind-driven water blow back in. Ask to see a cutaway sample in the showroom.
Tint colors and reflectivity are more than fashion. Reflective films can contravene of neighborhood associations or produce mirror-like glare toward surrounding properties. In seaside environments, extremely reflective glass can puzzle birds or sea turtles in some jurisdictions. Regional pros understand which finishes balance performance with compliance.

Color stability is a huge deal. Dark bronze or black frames look wonderful on modern-day homes, but in Florida sun low-cost finishes chalk and fade. AAMA 2605-rated coverings offer the very best color retention and chalk resistance. I specify them for seaside exposures whenever budgets allow.
Historic districts typically need profiles that mimic old wood sash sightlines. There are impact-rated windows that fit these requirements, however lead times extend and costs climb. Anticipate additional review by architectural boards, and line up a specialist acquainted with these submissions.
Condos have another layer of governance. Associations often specify a narrow list of authorized products for harmony. They also appreciate noise control between units. If your building sits directly on Collins Opportunity or faces a busy beach boardwalk, push for acoustic laminated options. Work with building management on staging and lift gain access to. Weekend work windows and minimal parking can include days and dollars.
Large openings, like a 16-foot-wide slider, need special attention in design pressure, deflection, and running hardware. Not every unit that looks strong in a showroom satisfies the wind loads on a ninth-floor terrace. Do not count on catalog optimum sizes. Use the NOA tables that correspond to your website's zone, favorable and unfavorable pressures, and mullion mixes if any.
The finest tasks start with a determined study and exposure analysis. You map each opening, note the substrate, and identify any framing irregularities or settlement cracks. Throughout proposition, the specialist reveals you the NOA and the Florida Item Approval, lists anchor types, and discusses how each opening will be flashed and sealed. They plan 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 safe. They protect floorings, pull back window treatments, and cap sprinklers. Old frames come out with care to protect interior finishes. New units get dry-fit, shimmed, and anchored per the schedule. The crew checks squareness and diagonals before setting sealant. They photograph anchors for the authorization file, particularly if they will be hidden. After glazing, they water-test with a controlled spray to confirm drainage paths and seals. The inspector sees a cool jobsite, clear labels, and documents in order.
Six months later on, your windows still close with two fingers, locks bite smoothly, and there is no mystery rattle throughout thunderstorms. You did not need to require a roller change after the first week. That is the standard.
Impact score does not equivalent breakproof. Laminated glass can crack under extreme impacts, but it must remain in the frame and hold together. After a storm that sends out particles into the glass, you may see star cracks or spidering. The window did its job. Change the sash or IGU after the event.
Window films do not transform non-impact windows into cyclone impact-resistant windows. They can include shatter resistance, however they do not replacement for a tested, anchored system. Your insurance provider and structure department will not count films as secured openings.
Interior humidity matters. Tight, energy-efficient effect windows lower air leak. That's terrific, however it increases the importance of a properly sized HVAC with excellent dehumidification. If your system is extra-large, the thermostat satisfies quickly and fails to pull enough moisture from the air. Ask your a/c pro to examine practical heat ratio, airflow, and run time. You desire constant, longer cycles, not brief bursts.
Maintenance is simple but not optional. Clean weep holes on sliders, wash salt spray from frames, and oil hardware every year with a silicone-based item that will not gum up in heat. Little routines extend lifespan.
There are genuine factors to mix services. A set of hardly ever utilized garage windows can keep detachable panels to shave budget. A deep-set patio with very little sun direct exposure might do great with accordion shutters if you focus on other upgrades like a brand-new roof deck attachment or a prepared garage door. Shutters can also safeguard outdoor kitchen areas or cabana openings where grease and smoke would age expensive hardware prematurely.
If you pick shutters, purchase quality. Stainless fasteners, smooth tracks, and motors with manual overrides for roll-downs make a distinction. Appoint duty 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 just about surviving the huge one. They reshape daily living. The living room stays cooler and quieter. The air conditioner 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 much shorter. You lock the sashes, set storm mode on the alarm, and focus on individuals instead of panels.
For a number of my customers, that intangible is the deciding factor. They understand storms will come. They also know life in South Florida is too excellent to live inside a fortress that just gets up in August. Miami-Dade approved windows offer you both: a clear view of Biscayne Bay on a breezy February early morning and peaceful self-confidence when the spaghetti designs point our way in September.
If you are weighing the choice, begin with a site-specific assessment. Match your exposures to develop pressures, choose the right laminated glass stack for wind and heat, choose frames that fit the architecture and conditions, and work with a crew that appreciates the load path. Done right, energy‑efficient impact windows provide what shutters can not: security that never ever requests a ladder and a better home every day of the year.