FAQ

All our impact-resistant products ensure that your property is protected 365 days a year. If you are away on vacation, traveling, or you’re a snowbird, there is no need to panic and head home to install shutters for a storm that may or may not hit.

When you install hurricane shutters, they need to be deployed and taken down after every hurricane. Additionally, shutters cover all of the windows, leaving you in the dark during a storm, often with no power. Impact windows look just like regular windows, but they protect against strong and damaging winds. Since impact windows don’t need to be covered, you can see outside during a hurricane, and they look better than aluminum hurricane shutters or wood boards.

Utility bills add up fast, especially during the summer in Florida. Impact windows can reduce the solar heat gain in the summer and help retain heat in your home on a cold Florida winter evening (all three days of winter). Choosing to replace regular windows with energy-efficient impact windows results can result in significant cost savings on your home’s electric bill by adding the Low-E option on impact windows and doors

Impact windows and doors protect from ultraviolet (UV) light. The UV light causes damage to fabrics, artwork, photographs, and paint. Installing impact windows protects your valuable interiors from fading and discoloration after repeated exposure to direct sunlight. Protecting your home from the sun is extremely important in Florida since we experience direct sunlight all year round.

The type of glass you choose for your impact windows and doors can alter the energy efficiency of the home. We are proud to offer insulating glass, laminated glass, laminated insulating glass, and heat-strengthened glass options. These options contribute to decreasing indoor energy usage, heating, and cooling costs.

Low-E Glass coating is applied to the internal glass to separate both heat and light energy. Tinted windows and doors help reduce the amount of heat and light transfer, while low-E glass coatings reflect the heat to the source allowing the short-wave light to pass through for natural illumination.

High-Performance Low-E to deflect solar heat gain and keep unwanted heat outside your home

Glass Tints which reduce the heat transmitted through your windows

Argon Gas which helps reflect outside heat to regulate the temperatures inside your home

With all the efficient glass options, you will see and feel the difference with more consistent temperatures and energy savings.

Not only does the strength of our glass keep you safe from hurricanes and storms, but it also makes burglaries much harder and more unlikely. Our impact window, with their two layers of glass and interlayer, makes break-ins much more difficult.

In addition to protecting your home from exterior damage, impact windows decrease the level of noise from the outside. If you live near a busy intersection, highway, or just have noisy neighbors, you know how disrupting and distracting outside noise can be. Installing impact windows is an effective way to reduce the amount of outside noise.

Impact windows and doors are effective windstorm protective systems recognized by insurance companies. Impact windows have several benefits, and protect your home from storms, provide an additional layer of security, and they are energy efficient.  Insurance companies recognize the many benefits of impact windows and can offer reductions to your insurance premiums.

Several elements make a window or door impact rated, such as the frame and sashe engineering, the quality of weather stripping, the different types of glass used, and the type of low emission coating on the impact glass. 

These products protect your home from more than hurricane-force damage; they also guard your family against would-be intruders. The most common way to achieve impact resistance in windows and doors is to select a product that uses laminated glass, laminated insulating glass, or heat-strengthened glass.

All impact-resistant laminated glass and laminated insulating glass must pass the Miami-Dade Building Code High-Velocity Hurricane Zone test standard – HVHZ, to receive a Miami Dade NOA (product approval). The Miami-Dade County Standard does not allow the test missile (9-pound 2×4 at 34 mph) to penetrate the unit or protective system and does not allow it to break the glass behind the protective system.

Even if the glass is damaged or shatters, the interlayer will hold the glass pieces secure in the frame and continue to keep unwanted elements outside.

In addition to protecting your home from exterior damage, impact windows decrease the level of noise from the outside.

If you live near a busy intersection, highway, or just have noisy neighbors, you know how disrupting and distracting outside noise can be. Installing impact windows is an easy way to reduce the amount of outside noise.

If you live in the tri-county area, it is the Notice Of Acceptance (NOA) issued by Miami-Dade County that will certify a product as impact resistant. This product approval also provides a label for the product that designates how long the certification will last. The NOA also includes information on dimensions, parts, materials, accessories, and installation guidelines for a product. Impact-resistant products also come with a sticker adhered to the window glass or door frame with the product approval information on it. It is important to remember not to remove these stickers because they are useful to identify your products and to qualify for insurance discounts.

Impact glass consists of a robust and laminated interlayer bonded between two panes of annealed, heat-strengthened, or tempered glass. When struck by a forceful object, the glass resists shattering. When an object strikes impact glass, it may crack or shatter, but stays together as one piece to prevent outside elements intruding into the home. Windows and doors staying intact during a hurricane are crucial if air enters a home, it causes a pressure build-up and can blow doors and windows out, and lift the roof off your home.

Both aluminum and vinyl are typically more durable, lower-maintenance, and less expensive than wood, but each material has its plusses and minuses. Wood frames are used on custom homes looking for non-impact window selections. Aluminum frames are more prone to dents, corrosion, and fading but are generally stronger overall.

Vinyl windows require less maintenance than aluminum windows. Vinyl never requires repainting; aluminum can be repainted or re-coated. Vinyl windows excel when it comes to insulation and improving energy efficiency because the vinyl material minimizes heat transfer. Aluminum windows tend to conduct heat and, therefore, are less energy efficient. While there are impact-resistant vinyl windows available, these typically cost 20 to 30 percent more than impact-resistant aluminum windows.

Both aluminum and vinyl are typically more durable, lower-maintenance, and less expensive than wood, but each material has its plusses and minuses. Wood frames are used on custom homes looking for non-impact window selections. Aluminum frames are more prone to dents, corrosion, and fading but are generally stronger overall.

Vinyl windows require less maintenance than aluminum windows. Vinyl never requires repainting; aluminum can be repainted or re-coated. Vinyl windows excel when it comes to insulation and improving energy efficiency because the vinyl material minimizes heat transfer. Aluminum windows tend to conduct heat and, therefore, are less energy efficient. While there are impact-resistant vinyl windows available, these typically cost 20 to 30 percent more than impact-resistant aluminum windows.

Usually, the main three color choices are white, bronze, or silver. Certain manufacturers do offer specialty colors at a higher cost.

Once we have received the windows, we will call you no later than 3-business days to schedule the install. We will take the utmost care in protecting your home and belongings from dust, debris, and damage. We will clean up at the end of each day so you can come home to a clean and comfortable environment. The homeowner can choose to be home or leave for the day. We realize every situation is unique and will work with the customer’s schedule within reason.

The work includes the repair/replace of wood bucks if needed, minor stucco repair, and minor drywall repair caused by the standard removal of windows & doors. Repairs are restricted to up to three inches from the masonry opening. However, the contractor shall not be liable for any unforeseen conditions, including but not limited to structural repairs, electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, and tile repairs. The work also includes labor and materials, but it does not include removal of drapes, blinds, shutters, any other window coverings, furniture, other items, or objects that are necessary to be moved or re-arranged to perform the work. 

Paint and tile repair is not part of the contractor’s scope of work.

PLEASE REVIEW OUR TERMS OF SERVICE IN OUR CONTRACT FOR MORE DETAIL

We will do our best as always and hoping that no damage happens during any of our installs. Sometimes life has other ideas; STS Impact Windows & Doors LLC is fully licensed, bonded, and insured to cover any damages we do to your property or the windows during the delivery and installation.

STS employs all of its professional installation technicians. We will have a designated project manager for each job to handle all your concerns and questions, as well as direct access via email and direct cell number to the companies’ general contractor/field supervisor. 

Yes, you can. If you are installing the windows yourself, you must provide the final measurements, active openings, and specifications. Windows will be available for pickup from our warehouse or storage area, or we can arrange for delivery to your home or business for an added charge.

If STS is doing the install, then our GC will come out after the contract is signed to get the final accurate measurements for the order

Once the contract is signed, within five business days, our general contractor/field supervisor will come to do the final measurements. Depending on the manufacturer and the time of year, lead times can be anywhere from 6 to10 weeks. Several factors affect lead times, such as how close we are to hurricane season and how many backorders manufacturers have.

Every house is unique; most standard-sized three to four-bedroom homes will take approximately three to four days. Once you book your free consultation, the STS representative will give you more of an accurate timeline once they have seen and taken initial measurements at your home or business.  Immediately after completion, the site supervisor, general contractor/field supervisor, and the customer will conduct the final walk-through. Immidtaley, after the general contractor/field supervisor, checks off on all work done, and the customer is completely satisfied, we will call in the final inspection with the city inspectors.

Yes, if requested, we will remove traditional hurricane shutters and accordion shutters. We will fill in the holes and haul them away for you. Painting not included