Pella 250 Series Windows Reviews

Pella 250 Series windows reviews, warranty, prices

The Pella 250 Series windows are a decent vinyl window option. This had been the mid-range option with the upgraded Pella 350 series windows being the top of the line. In my humble opinion the Pella 350 series model was a better choice but that model has since been discontinued. Now the 250 series is the top of the line option.

With that said, the 250 series is a decent window model, but not as nice as the higher end options that you can get from other manufacturers. I don’t know why they discontinued their nicer option, but all we’re left with is this 250 window model.

Pella 250 series windows with hidden screens and little kids playing.  Are they saying your kids will be this cute if you buy these windows?

What are the advantages of the Pella 250 Series windows?

The advantages to these windows are pretty limited. They are made by Pella. They’re obviously a large and well established company so that’s a positive.

They do offer a neat screen option in the hidden screen. This is a screen that is attached to the bottom of the window sash and it comes up when you open the window. Here’s a picture:

Hidden screen on these Pella vinyl windows.

They say this screen is backed by a 10 year warranty but that would typically only cover manufacturing defects. If your kids (or your cat) damages this screen there will be replacement costs. It’s also not as simple to fix as a regular screen. I think an option like this is neat in a brochure, but not necessarily as neat in real life.

What are the disadvantages?

There are a few downsides to this window model. They’re not the most efficient and the color options are pretty limited. We’ll have more info in both of those topics below.

Beyond that, these windows are generally more expensive than comparable windows from other manufacturers. The pricing I’ve seen from customers tends to show these windows being offered at a pretty significant price premium. That just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’d say the relatively bad value proposition is a pretty substantial drawback to these windows.

What colors are available for Pella 250 Series windows?

The color options for these windows are rather limited. It is common to see many more available colors when looking at windows from larger manufacturers. In this case Pella limits the color choices to just the few options shown below.

Very limited color choices in the Pella 250 series windows.

As you can see the basic window colors are white, fossil. If you order one of those options the windows will be that color inside and out.

Then you can add an exterior color if you want to jazz it up a little bit. The only exterior color options are brown and black.

So, while the color options are pretty limited they do offer the most popular colors. I would guess these options will do the trick for the majority of customers.

Are the Pella 250 Series windows energy efficient?

They’re very middle of the road in terms of efficiency. They advertise three InsulShield glass packages which is a nice way to try to keep things simple. They don’t advertise efficiency ratings. This is a pretty common thing to do when the efficiency ratings aren’t remarkable.

Generally when a company offers real measurable efficiency ratings that are pretty good they’re happy to tell everyone about them.

Is the Pella 250 Series warranty any good?

Not really. We’ll have a complete Pella vinyl window warranty review coming out within the next several days so look for that. For now, the warranty is decent in that it’s backed by a very large company. That’s good.

There are substantial drawbacks to the warranty. For example, they try to restrict your ability to sue them if the products have issues. The warranty term can also be shorter than you’ll see from other vinyl window manufacturers.

I’d say the warranty on the 250 series windows is probably ok, but not a selling point in my opinion.

What’s the bottom line?

Overall I think this is not the best option in most cases. Some customers are just more comfortable with well known brands like Pella or Andersen and that tends to be why these windows continue to sell.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with the Pella 250 series windows and I think many people would be happy with them. The value isn’t typically the best as you’re paying a premium for the Pella name. I do think you can get a better value elsewhere.

How can you find a great window company?

That part is easy.  Check this section for recommendations of window companies all over the country. There’s no better way to get new windows.

Other posts you might find interesting:

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7 thoughts on “Pella 250 Series Windows Reviews”

  1. Carlyn P. says:

    Hi! We were quoted on a house full of Pella Defender Series single hung windows to be installed by Lowe’s. I cannot find any information about the defender series. Have you heard of it? It is just a rename of one of their other models? Thanks!

    1. thewindowdog says:

      Box stores are generally a horrible place to order windows in my opinion. Where are you located? We might know someone to recommend.

      1. Carlyn P. says:

        Daytona Beach area. I didn’t see any recommendations on your list yet 😉

        Re: big box stores… I was wary too. We also have quotes for single hung PGT 5400’s and CWS (not sure on model) with only 1-2 years warrantee on install, while Lowe’s is transferrable lifetime on install. The Pella Defender seems to be not the entry level based on specs, but thats as far as I got with info about it.

    2. We had Pella Defender windows installed in October 2021 by Lowes. They were on sale and I chose them due to the Pella reputation. During installation I notice the sticker in one of the windows said “CWS”. It’s a company in Ocala that Pella bought and had them making their Defender windows. They have horrible reviews. It took 4 attempts to get one of the windows fixed and a year and a half to get the screens properly fixed. After job was done and inspected I noticed the frames for the 2 replacement screens were a different style. The windows look ok and they help with the heat and noise but the many problems and rescheduled weren’t worth it. I hope I responded in time to save you from a lot of aggravation. Read reviews of Custom Window Systems. A lot of the positive reviews are just from people who work there. Lowes is selling (or was) a product with a Pella label that is not a true Pella product.

  2. Just started researching windows. What other window you recommend over the 250 series proce range? Im in the Northeast. Thanks, your site is awesome.

    1. thewindowdog says:

      Hi Peter I think there will be a lot of options nicer than the Pella 250. My company could help in some areas in the Northeast. What’s your zip code? I’ll be happy to help if I can.

      1. NY – 11360. on my list to look at are the pella 250, provia, and okna. (anything else you recommend?) provia frames looks too beefy. im wary of okna and the warranty issues theyve had. will also consider the pella impervia and marvin essential…but i think those might be out of my price range (but they do looks nice! lol). ive just started doing my research so i havent seen any of these in person. will also check with my contractor to see what he recommends.

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