What We Work With
Selecting the right product for your new construction or remodeling project in Southern Florida is more than a matter of style. It also involves quality, efficiency, and value received. H.B.S., Inc. will help you from the selection process through the completion of all your window, door, custom mirror and shower door installations.
H.B.S., Inc. sells a complete line of code-approved, impact-resistant products. In addition, we provide commercial glazing services along with custom mirror and shower door installations.
Brands We Believe In
Our relationship with our product manufacturers is exceptionally strong. We research our product lines for quality and performance and only distribute the best of each product line. We do not take on new products like “the flavor of the month.”
Instead, we build long-term relationships with reputable manufacturers that produce the best quality products. If we felt there was a better product available than what we currently carry, we would have it! We offer products from the following manufacturers:
PGT WinGuard
H.B.S., Inc. is proud to be one of Florida’s largest authorized distributors of PGT® WinGuard™ Impact-Resistant products, the only complete line of aluminum impact-resistant windows and doors to have Miami-Dade County product approval on all of its products. When it comes to code-driven hurricane protection, WinGuard windows and doors provide a solution that’s clearly superior to shutters.
With WinGuard windows and doors you maintain design flexibility, while avoiding having separate subcontractors for windows and shutters. When the windows are in, you’re done. And the cost of installing WinGuard products is very competitive with the cost of regular windows and doors, plus code-approved shutters.
Weathershield
H.B.S., Inc. is an authorized premier distributor of Weather Shield Windows & Doors, the leading manufacturer of wood impact-resistant windows and doors. Their standards of quality are based on their experience in building hundreds of thousands of windows and doors every year for the residential and commercial building industries of North America and abroad.
Impact Resistant Windows & Doors
Weather Shield’s new LifeGuard™ Windows and Doors feature the impact resistant products offered to comply with the new hurricane codes. A specially engineered system upgrade in the Legacy Series®, LifeGuard offers the most extreme performance available to exceed the requirements of Dade County. No other impact-resistant line of windows and doors comes close to matching the custom look that can be created on the exterior and interior of a home with LifeGuard.
From extruded aluminum-clad wood sash and frame, to the impact-resistant glazing and corrosion-resistant hardware, no detail has been overlooked. With a wide assortment of styles and a multitude of sizes to choose from, LifeGuard Windows and Doors are designed to protect everything architects, contractors and homeowners value most.
CGI Windows & Doors
CGI Windows & Doors is a premier manufacturer of hurricane-impact-resistant windows and doors. Produced to the most exacting industry standards, our high performance, high aesthetic product collections offer advanced hurricane protection of home and commercial structures, in both new and existing construction. Made of heavy commercial-grade aluminum, impact-resistant laminated glass and the finest hardware, CGI’s windows and doors exude strength and beauty.
Alumax
Alumax has been a leading US bath and shower enclosure manufacturer since 1949. With a national sales team and thousands of distributing shower door dealers nationwide, we are committed to total customer satisfaction as well as the production and on-time delivery of the highest quality shower doors in the industry.
Whether you are looking for a sliding shower door, pivot, hinged, or heavy glass system Alumax has the product to match any specifications. Available finishes include brushed nickel, oil rubbed bronze (ORB), chrome, satin, polished, and more. Our proprietary Stik Stall product line provides maximum flexibility to fit any shower space.
Standard and custom shower door and shower stall enclosure designs are available and customers can choose from many glass patterns including privacy, (obscure), reed, rain, and flutex to create a custom shower solution. Alumax shower doors offer excellent value with the very highest quality for today’s bath designer and homeowner.
Alumax is also a manufacturer of quality sliding mirrored wardrobe doors, bi-fold wardrobe doors, and other sliding-mirror wardrobe door configurations. The Silver and Gold Brite-Anodized finishes to the wardrobe doors are a perfect match to Alumax Bath Enclosures so that you achieve a beautiful continuity in your style between the rooms of your house.
Centor
H.B.S., Inc. is proud to be a dealer of high-quality Centor bifolding door systems. When you want expansive views and easy operation, Centor is the right choice. Centor Integrated Doors:
- Come in a variety of configurations (maximum opening of 24 feet wide)
- Have a beautiful wood interior and durable aluminum exterior
- Feature secure self-latching magnetic locks
- Boast incredible thermal performance with Centor’s superior sealing system
- Are available with double or triple glazed glass (which helps maximize energy efficiency)
- Have wide, expansive views
Better yet, these doors can be installed with a retractable screen, which allows you to keep out insects but still enjoy the breeze. With a Centor door and screen, “there’s no pleating, no grills. Just fresh air and flawless views.”
Enviralume by C.R.Laurence
When it comes to distributing and installing shower doors for our Southern Florida customers, we are proud dealers of the CRL (C.R. Laurence) product line. As the 2012 glass magazine award winner for its Serenity Series sliding door system, CRL shower doors and accessories offer time-tested reliability, quality, beauty, and variety.
CRL shower doors are sure to suit your installation needs, whether you’re looking for an inline, neo angle, right angle, or custom angle shower door. The company also provides a wide variety of frameless shower door hardware, including:
- Shower door hinges
- Knobs
- Wipes and seals
- Door towel bars
- Channels and headers
- Sliding door systems
- Support bars
- Partitions
- And more
Each part comes in a number of beautiful finishes, such as:
- Brass, satin brass, antique brass, or ultra brass
- Chrome, satin chrome, or brushed satin chrome
- Polished nickel, satin nickel, brushed nickel, or antique brushed nickel
- Brushed pewter
- Brushed bronze, oil rubbed bronze, or antique bronze
- Polished copper, brushed copper, or antique brushed copper
- Gun metal
- Gold plated
- Red
- White
- Black
Custom finishes are also available.
Progressive Screen Systems
H.B.S., Inc. is proud to offer Progressive Screen Solutions products to all of our customers in Southern Florida! Progressive Screen Solutions is a leading manufacturer of motorized retractable screens that can be used for a variety of reasons, including:
- Gazebos
- Porches & patios
- Windows
- Lanais
- Outdoor eating areas
- Car ports
- Entry ways
- And more!
At the touch of a button, you can shield yourself and your guests from pesky insects and up to 90 percent of the sun’s rays. In addition to being produced with quality materials and workmanship, all of Progressive Screen Solutions products include a limited lifetime warranty.
Turn your porch or gazebo into a private hangout—contact H.B.S., Inc. to install a motorized retractable screen from Progressive Screen Solutions today!
Signature Door
Signature Door decorative entry doors feature triple-glazed leaded/beveled/stained glass designs with impact approvals that do not require shutters.
WinDoor
H.B.S., Inc. is proud to be one of the authorized distributors for WinDoor Incorporated. Impact-resistant door and window systems by WinDoor have been designed with knowledge gained from years of understanding the needs of coastal markets.
WinDoor doors and windows are custom made exactly the way you envision them. From the panel size you require to the glazing and color you choose. They offer a variety of custom doors and fixed window systems available in sizes to fit any new home, high rise or remodeling project.
Therma-Tru
It was a bold innovation for the homebuilding market 25 years ago when we introduced an entryway door that looked as beautiful as wood but performed with the durability of steel. But revolutionizing the industry is what you can expect from the nation’s leading manufacturer and most preferred brand of fiberglass and steel exterior door systems.
Therma-Tru’s roots go back to 1962 when David Welles, a retired Owens Corning executive purchased a bankrupt building supply company in Toledo, Ohio. In 1982, the company launched its Fiber-Classic style, the first fiberglass door on the market.
“People just couldn’t believe it,” says Deke Welles, son of founder David K. Welles and President of Therma-Tru from 1989 – 2001. “The product that looked so good was actually made of fiberglass.”
Euro-Wall
Euro-Wall offers top-of-the-line folding door systems for both interior and exterior uses in residential and commercial properties. With a complete line of folding, stacking, and sliding doors inspired by European design, Euro-Wall products are made in America with the highest grade materials available—making them more energy efficient, stronger, and with more customizable options than other competitors.
Folding, sliding, and stacking doors from Euro-Wall are a great choice for architects, builders, and homeowners looking for a large opening folding door system. Euro-Wall products meet and exceed Florida Building Code test protocols and even exceed many other manufacturers in (1) large and small missile impact, (2) water resistance, and (3) wind resistance requirements in aluminum and mahogany door panels.
Hurricane Impact Rated Sliding Doors from Euro-Wall
Specializing in High Velocity Wind and Hurricane Zones (HVHZ) and coastal regions—such as Southern Florida, Euro-Wall produces customizable folding doors that meet the building codes required by coastal authorities while also bringing beauty to any home or office. Many homeowners are interested in the Euro-SL1 Hurricane Impact Rated Sliding Glass Doors—available in retrofit or custom fit for new construction openings. To complement the architecture and style of any space, these doors are available in a range of glass colors, finish colors, and materials. They are also made of maintenance-free aluminum, have tandem rollers with silent running nylon wheels, and stand up to the elements with superior strength and stainless steel fasteners and double weather stripping at every joint.
Plaza Doors
International Impact Building Products, LLC (IIBP) is the manufacturer of custom sliding glass doors known as Plaza Doors. These doors have been continually tested, modified and improved since their beginning in 1960. Made from the finest extruded, architectural grade aluminum, our designs are customized to meet the highest performance requirements of impact or non-impact doors.
Located in West Palm Beach, Florida for over 50 years, Plaza Doors have been installed all over the US, the Caribbean, and parts of the Pacific.
Plaza Doors’ high standards surpass the stringent testing required for acceptance by Miami-Dade County NOA’s-Texas Department of Insurance, ASTM and others. So when the yearly threat of potentially damaging hurricanes and rising insurance premiums affect you, look to Plaza Door’s Titan Series. Both the small and large missile impact doors are rated to help protect you and your investment.
Panda
H.B.S., Inc.is proud to be an authorized distributor of Panda Windows & Doors, a leading manufacturer producing the largest line of custom door systems in the country. With a focus on creating high-quality, sustainable, and innovative designs to meet the needs of each individual client, it’s no surprise the company has gained global recognition for its work, with projects including the CityCenter complex and the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.
Panda Windows
Panda windows are inspired by European design, and are built-to-order using the highest quality hardware in the market. Available lines include All Aluminum for the classic European look, Thermally Broken for a more comfortable living space, and Wood Clad to resist inclement weather. Clients can also choose from unique features such as concealed hinges and a virtually endless selection of finish options for an end result that’s eco-friendly, elegant, and functional.
Panda Doors
Panda also offers a full selection of customizable doors to reflect the needs of residential and commercial clients. Available options include bi-fold doors, multi-slide doors, French doors, pivot doors, and sliding doors. Clients can further enhance the design by choosing unique styles for framing, materials, and colors.
Solar Innovations
Solar Innovations makes innovative, well-crafted bifold doors right here in the U.S. Also known as accordion doors or folding glass walls, these doors are designed to effortlessly slide along a track and fold against a wall. They can be installed in interiors and exteriors.
Aluminum Bifold Doors
The aluminum frames on Solar Innovations’ bifold doors will not rot, rust, or warp, and require little maintenance. The doors’ hardware is crafted from heavy-duty stainless steel and aluminum hinges, ensuring durability and endurance. You can choose from two locking systems for your accordion door: traditional flush bolts or a two-point lock designed by Solar Innovations’ own engineers.
Accordion Doors Designed for Waterfront Living
If your home or business is near the ocean, you can opt for a bifold door with a heavy saltwater frame finish that resists abrasion.
Every Bifold Door Is Custom Crafted
The bifold doors from Solar Innovations don’t come in standard sizes; each door set is manufactured to exactly fit your opening. Among other styles, you can choose from:
- Center pivot folding door
- Double door option with swing door
You can also specify custom configurations that are not available from other operable door manufacturers.
Solar Innovations Bifold Doors in South Florida
When you need an outsized, passable opening to connect your interior with the outdoors, contact H.B.S., Inc. to learn more about bifold doors from Solar Innovations.
Preparation For A Hurricane
Lesson 1: Don’t Depend on Others to Install Shutters
You can only count on yourself to install your shutters! In 2004, most shutter installers had less than 24 hours to install the shutters on their “list” of customer’s homes. The bitter reality was that only a few customers were serviced before the installers were evacuated or left to take care of their own families.
Recommendation
Make sure you have a fool-proof plan to install your shutters (even when you are absent), or simply consider using impact-rated products for your windows and doors!
Lesson 2: Installation Matters
Your windows and doors are only as strong as the installation! Our service crews were called out to replace many window and door products that were blown out during the hurricanes, and found that most of the products were inferior in structural strength and failed under high-pressure hurricane forces. Some products were adequately designed but failed due to improper installation.
Recommendation
Use a quality AAMA-certified installation company like H.B.S., Inc. to insure that your products are installed as required by the approved product certifications.
Lesson 3: Prepare for Florida Hazards
Acknowledge the environment you are living in, and prepare for the risk!
We choose to live in Florida for this great tropical climate. But, this climate also includes hurricanes, lightning, and thunderstorms—not to mention those darn “love bugs” that stick to your car bumper. When you choose to live here, you must assume complete responsibility for the potential dangers of the environment around you. This also includes your responsibility to prepare yourself and your home for the physical effects of hurricanes and severe thunderstorms.
Recommendation
Your preparation should begin with a thorough interview with your insurance agent to verify your coverages and limitations in a hurricane event. Bring a list of hypothetical questions to make sure you know the limits of your coverage. Next, take every precaution to make your home as structurally sound as possible. Make sure your home has impact protection for your glazed openings (which required by building codes for new homes).
Lesson 4: Choose High-Quality Building Materials
Your house is only as strong as the materials it is made with! The story of the three little pigs will suffice for general construction purposes. We will focus on windows and doors.
All windows and doors are not the same. Just because a product meets the requirements of the building code doesn’t mean that it is the best product you can get. Remember, the code establishes a minimum standard of performance. The lower-cost products will generally meet this minimum standard, and rarely exceed it. The most noticeable differences are in performance and price. Naturally, the higher performance comes with a higher price tag. The old saying “you get what you pay for” comes to mind.
Recommendation
Consult with a window and door expert like H.B.S. to find the highest performing product that will best fit your architectural style and budget.
Lesson 5: There’s No Such Thing as “Hurricane-Proof”
There is no such thing as a truly hurricane-proof window or shutter. The most common misconception for impact-rated products is that the products were “hurricane-proof.” The fact is that an impact rated product is tested and certified to comply with a specific performance criteria. The most recognized impact protocol is the Miami-Dade TAS 201, 202, 203 certification. Products tested to this protocol will be awarded with specific performance level certifications (known as a “Design Pressure Rating”) based on how well the products performs during the testing. Some products achieve a low design pressure rating while others push the performance levels to a new height.
Recommendation
Choose the highest-performing product that fits your budget. You will find the return on your investment to be far greater than the cost savings of a lower-performing product.
Lesson 6: Nothing is Waterproof in a Hurricane
All windows and doors are tested to specific performance levels as required by AAMA/NWWDA 101/I.S. 2-97. This criteria includes structural loading, water infiltration, and air infiltration. Most people have the misconception that a window that is “140 m.p.h. rated” will also be “water-proof” in a 140 m.p.h. hurricane. Unfortunately, this is not true.
The 140 m.p.h. rating converts to a maximum structural design pressure of 50 PSF. The water infiltration test is only performed at 15% of the structural design pressure. This means that a 140 m.p.h. window will meet a 7.5 PSF load for water rating. Through engineering calculations, this 7.5 PSF load equates to a maximum 54 m.p.h. wind speed. This water rating will be greatly reduced if the water application is higher than the test application rate, and of course, a hurricane will apply water at much higher volume than the tested rate. The bottom line is that your typical 140 m.p.h. window still leak water at 54 m.p.h. wind speeds or higher.
Some products achieve a much higher water rating than the minimum 7.5 PSF, but, these higher performing products will never come close to being “water-proof” in a hurricane. We have been asked if a shutter will stop a window from leaking—the answer is “no!” The shutter is not a sealed gasket system. Water will penetrate through and around the shutter with ease. The pressure behind the shutter is the same as if the shutter were not even there. This pressure will convey the water to the window, and possibly through the window. The only certified function of a shutter is to protect the window from flying debris impact – not water infiltration or structural pressures.
On a Side Note
While performing emergency repairs after the hurricanes, we found a few instances where the windows were blown out behind hurricane shutters which were still in place!
Recommendation: Use the Highest Design Pressure Rating Possible
Consult your window and door expert to find the product with the highest design pressure rating for your project. In a hurricane, take precautions to prevent water damage near your windows and doors (and chimney flues, stove vents, etc.). Prepare your home as if you expect your windows and doors to leak during a hurricane. The most important concept you need to understand is that there is no “magical” window, door, or shutter product that can be certified to be water resistant in hurricane-force winds. Remember, your house has windows and doors–not port-holes and submarine hatches!
Lesson 7: Choose Your Window and Door Distributor with Care
Choose a window and door distributor that stands behind its products! After each hurricane had passed, all H.B.S. service crews went out into the community to help people secure their homes. For weeks we were using plywood to board up openings where windows and sliding doors once stood. During this depressing time we were enlightened to learn an astonishing fact.
H.B.S. has been selling and installing impact-certified products since 1997. During this time we have installed literally tens of thousands of impact windows & doors. H.B.S. is very proud of the fact that we had no structural failures of impact products and their installations.
Recommendation 7: Choose H.B.S.
Let H.B.S., Inc. supply and install all of your windows and doors to ensure that your products will perform to their maximum level!
As of March 1st, 2002 every new home built along Florida’s coast has been required to meet stringent new building codes based on those already in place in South Florida. These changes have made it necessary for every architect, designer, contractor, and homeowner to consider all of these new mandatory requirements for every window and door in a home. Area building departments expect a total compliance before any dwelling can be approved for occupancy.
“There is general misconception out there that ‘missile-impact’ compliance is the only issue necessary to be addressed for windows and doors in new code,” explains Ray Reinhard, a professional engineer at H.B.S.. “The fact is that there are several standards for the windows and doors themselves that have nothing to do with the missile-impact provision.”
In fact, every window and door in new homes is now required to pass structural test pressures to 140 miles per hour. In addition, each window and door must meet strict rating requirements for water and air infiltration. “That means that you cannot use a lower-rated window or door, and just cover it with a shutter system,” explains Jack Barrie, President of H.B.S., Inc. “These window and door standards are separate, and equally important, to the South Florida ‘missile-impact’ requirements that are now also in effect.”
Choosing the correct window and door products for your new home has now taken on a much greater significance. If you purchase windows and doors that don’t meet code requirements in regard to product performance or their installation, you will be required to tear them out and start over. This means ensuring you and your architect, designer, and contractor have all considered all the new requirements and chosen the options that you can afford. H.B.S. is an industry leader in this type of building code compliance, serving the needs of Palm Beach County where very similar codes have existed for quite some time.
“We have 10 professional crews dedicated solely to window and door installations,” explains Rob Vaccaro, General Manager. “We have a tremendous amount of experience with these impact windows and doors, and we have been installing qualified systems in South Florida since 1997. The proper installation is just as important as the products themselves, and we feel this code is the right way to go. It will make homes safer in the event of any major storm, and by contractors and homeowners spending a little more time, effort, and money up-front, they will reduce their potential exposure to damage in the future.”
Reinhard adds, “That means insurance deductibles should go down, because the insurance companies know that these new homes will stand up better to the storms, and they should have less liability as a result,” he continues, “As a company, we made the decision quite some time ago to take the ‘high road’ and have tried to make sure that everyone we’ve installed windows for was as prepared as possible for the occurrence of a major storm.” He concludes, “Now every company must take that attitude. It’s the Florida Building Code, and will be enforced.”
H.B.S. is proud that our team of sales professionals understands the needs of every customer through consultation with the H.B.S. engineer to make sure that each and every code requirement is met. “Our sales people focus their efforts on finding the right fit for each customer’s needs, and this is the key ingredient to the planning process,” explains Bill Sastram, Chief Product Estimator, “At H.B.S., we likely offer one of the greatest selections of these kinds of products in the entire United States.”
About HBS
HBS sells and professionally installs top-performing, impact-resistant windows and doors in Southern Florida, designed to meet the highest standards of hurricane code approval.
Contact us
722 3rd Place
Vero Beach, FL 32962
(772) 567-7461
info23@hbsglass.com