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Cat and Dog — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 30 Nov, 2020
If you need a new sliding patio door, look no further! We are proud to offer our customers Pet Door products. 
Home Improvement Show — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 01 Oct, 2020
“Let’s all go! Where to? The Home Improvement show!” Anyone who has lived in Billings more than a year has heard this iconic and legendary catch phrase. Billings MT has hosted the home show every spring and fall for the last 38 years.
Kid Doing the Masonry Works — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 10 Sep, 2020
Hello everyone! My name is Ali. I was 5 years old when my Dad (Brett Dipasquale) started Construction by Design. It was the year 1993. They say people can’t remember that far back into their childhood and for the most part I think that is true. However, there are a few things I do remember from early childhood and all the space in between. I remember that I LOVED ruby red grapefruit juice. I remember my kindergarten teacher, making peanut butter playdough in class and learning sign language. I also remember going to the MSUB campus with my dad to post flyers. The kind of flyer that has little tear offs of your name and number. I remember him telling me he was going to start a business. I don’t think either of us realized what that one small step would lead to. I grew older and I remember being his sidekick. I remember my mom dropping me off at a job site because she had a meeting to go to. I don’t remember how old I was; I do remember unpacking and playing with my toys outside on the sidewalk. I remember being fascinated with the black and yellow radio, because it was solar powered and had a wind-up crank. I didn’t get to know my great grandfather very well before he passed away. I remember him as kind old man who gave me and my aunt lemonade and cookies. (Milk and cookies were too normal I guess.) I have been told that he owned a pretty successful business. Graf Masonry. That he and his father before him were both contractors. I started working for my dad when I was 12. It was a summer job, I mostly cleaned up after my dad and I remember learning how to Windex windows after a job was done. I rolled up extension cords and helped clean up the job site at the end of the day. My grandpa Al worked alongside my Dad for 10 years. During the summers I remember him always saying, “We’re just standing around looking pretty, Ali and I are good at that.” Then he would wink at me and laugh when the boss (my Dad) got irritated. I remember we used to joke about changing the name of the business to “Bad Back Construction.” We also used to go over the number one rule every morning before work. “Promise them.” My dad would say. I would hold up my hands with my fingers spread wide and say, “I promise you that at the end of today I will still have all 10 of you.” I also remember joking about measurements being “golden” when they were accurate. “On the money” was a saying that was popular at the time, but we said “golden”. That must have stuck because the business now has a golden sheet for all final measurements. My dad, Brett often says “you don’t pick the window business the window business picks you.” I think this statement holds true for him. He has a family history that runs deep in the contractor business. So, when he sat down and thought about the rest of his life, window installation seemed like the next most reasonable step. I still remember when my dad became a fireman. I remember going to the EMT classes with him and watching him practice climbing up a building. I remember having to adjust to him being on shift. I remember crying because he wasn’t home to tuck me in. I also remember being so incredibly proud of him. Even though he was now a firefighter he worked both jobs. He maintained his ownership of Construction by Design Inc, stepping away only briefly when he went to and graduated college. I was in awe of him as he walked across that graduation stage. In 2012 Construction by Design, then an installation and remodeling business began to evolve. It grew into Reynolds Window and Door and became a window company that also does installation. He was still a firefighter until 2016 when he retired from the fire department. Retirement hasn’t slowed him down any. Running and growing Reynolds Window and Door to meet the needs of his customers has become his main focus. Working 2 fulltime jobs for most of his adult life couldn’t have been easy. He definitely knows how to work hard, but he also knows how to play hard. What’s that saying? Work hard play harder. He spends a lot of his time away from work going on adventures with his family. A lot of weekends are spent on the wakeboard, skiing, going on trips out of town, and watching my sister and brother play sports. I think one of his favorite things about owning this business is that the whole family can work here. His wife Korinne, and both of my brothers Nick, and Gabe work at Reynolds Window and Door. Who knows maybe one day my son and daughter will work here too.  I know this blog is supposed to be about the history of the business but my Dad, Brett DiPasquale is the face of Reynolds Window and Door. The person whose family and history directly influences the culture of this company.
Kid Playing with Bubbles — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 11 Aug, 2020
I wake up in the morning, all groggy eyed and messy hair. I am not ready for the bouncing upbeat energy my kids have to offer me in these early hours, so I walk as silently as I can to the kitchen. I avoid all the familiar squeaky spots in the old wooden floor. I enter the kitchen and am immediately hit with a blast of thick, hot air. We do not have a portable air conditioner in the kitchen like we do in the other rooms of our apartment. I decide to start a cup of coffee and open the old wood windows in the kitchen. Letting in the fresh, cool morning air is the perfect medication for this situation. I honestly do not give it a second thought. There are many inventions in our modern lives that we take for granted. One such invention is that of the modern window. Where did windows come from? The very first window was an opening cut into or built into a roof. These openings did not have any glass. They did not have any sort of protective covering at all. They were designed in the 13th century B.C. to let outside light into a home during the day. These original windows had their benefits but there were also some major and obvious drawbacks. Any type of weather would be an issue, the more obvious weather issues are rain and snow. However, sun damage would have been an issue as well especially during the summer months. Dirt from wind blowing as well as pests such as rodents, flies, and other bugs would have been able to get into the home easily. While these windows served their purpose, they were not very practical. Could you imagine intentionally living with a large hole in your roof?
Egress Windows — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 30 Jul, 2020
If you are an avid supporter of our blog, then you already know we talked about egress windows and the importance of them in our “Emergencies Happen” post. It states that “Egress windows are required in certain areas to protect you and your loved ones in the event of an emergency.” This is true, particularly in the case of basements and basement fires. If you have not read the post, I highly recommend going back and reading it now. I will even give you a minute…. So, you read our “Emergencies Happen” blog post and you decided to make your basement windows egress. You may now be wondering what hazards open window wells impose? An open window well is essentially an open hole in your yard and does not come without certain risks. The most commonsense safety issue or risk is from falling into the window well. However, a few more surprising hazards of having an open window well are basement flooding, build up of snow and debris, and critters of the small furry or slithering variety entering your home. (EEK!) By now you are probably saying to yourself “Okay, so what if my window wells become hazardous? What do I do?” The answer is surprisingly simple. Get yourself a window well cover. In our opinion the ideal window well cover would be slanted so the snow, rain drops, and debris slide off. It would fit to the top of the window well opening so that small sneaky animals and water would be restricted from entering. It would need to be strong enough to withstand the weight and impact of an average adult falling. In case of an emergency it would need to be lightweight and easy to operate. In addition to all these things the ideal window well cover would be aesthetically pleasing, customized to match the personal style and taste of you the customer. A quick google search will tell you there are a variety of places to get window well covers. Harbor freight even has its options. However, if you want a long-lasting cover that can withstand about 250 lbs. of pressure and checks all the boxes above, think about getting one of our custom covers. If you have questions about custom coverings or what we have to offer you can always call us here at Reynolds Window and Door. We would love to hear from you!
Construction Plan — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 15 Jul, 2020
There are a lot of options and choices to make when selecting a new window or set of windows for your home. However, there are three things a window must always be. A good carpenter knows that a window must always be level, plumb and square. Level- The carpenter’s definition of level is a perfectly horizontal line. That means that when a carpenter puts a window in an opening the horizontal sides of the window must be flat and even. There must not be any slopes or bumps. The horizontal sides of the window must be parallel to the ground. A tool that can be used to check this is -you guessed it! - a level. Plumb- The carpenter’s definition of plumb is a perfectly vertical line. That means that when a window is placed in an opening the vertical sides must create a perfect vertical line. They must be perpendicular to the ground. There are certain tools a carpenter can use to check this. A plumb bob is one example. If a window is not plumb it can be aesthetically unpleasing. It can also cause the window to sag in the corners, and fall closed after opening. In the case of a side to side sliding window the window may not operate correctly. Square- The carpenter’s definition of a square window is one that is both perfectly level and plumb. If a window is level and plumb the corners will create a 90-degree angle. A carpenter’s square can be used to check the angles of a window. True- If a good carpenter installs the window to be level, plumb and square it will be true. When a window is true it is square on both the plumb (vertical) and level (horizontal) axis. This will keep the window working properly for a long time.
Colorful Windows — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 11 Jul, 2020
Hello! We are so happy you stopped by! All of us here at Reynolds Windows and Doors are so excited for you and your new adventure! Maybe you are a new homeowner who needs to remodel your existing windows to meet code or maybe you have been in your home for a while and need to replace existing exterior trim due to damage. Either way there is no doubt by now you have been delving into the many options the window world has to offer. Sometimes it can seem like you are in another dimension (see what I did there?), but I am here to help you out with that. You may find yourself wondering, what is exterior trim? Exterior trim is the trim around the outside or exterior of the window. When replacing an existing window typically the siding is cut back to access the nailing fin and remove the window. Once the new window is installed the wider trim is installed around the window where the siding was cut back. It is a lot like a picture frame. There are a variety of materials that can be used to create this “frame”. The most popular option around the world is wood. However, there are also PVC and Composite options. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride and is a type of synthetic plastic polymer. It is also called vinyl. The composite material is kind of like a plastic wood. It is made of a combination of structural fibers and PVC. This combination makes a composite (a very sturdy) material that can withstand a lot of wear, tear, and weather. Now that we know what exterior trim is and the types of material it comes in (believe me I am going through this process with you.) let us review our current options. Option one: Brickmould. Brickmould is a decorative trim that can be ordered as part of the window and can be hand-painted to match a more custom paint job or painted to match from the factory. The brickmould exterior trim option is available in different profiles. Option two: J-channel. J Channel is good if you do not want large trim around your windows. It can be used where the siding meets the window to give it a superior clean and professional look. Option three: Flat trim. Flat trim is a type of trim that can be used to create a more modern look. The exterior trim will not poke out from your home in a 3-dimensional way. Instead as the name indicates they will have a flat appearance. This trim can be ordered to match current window colors. It can also be wrapped with either smooth or textured trim coil stock. The trim coil stock comes in a wide variety of colors as well.
Kid Climbing on the Window — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 29 May, 2020
If you are building a new home or remodeling an existing home make sure you know the current building codes or hire someone who does (wink, wink). Often times, we don’t plan for emergencies because we think “That will never happen to me.” The problem is that sometimes emergencies do happen, and unfortunately, they happen to us or someone we know and care about. I sincerely hope that none of our customers reading this blog have to deal with a catastrophic emergency such as a fire. However, those that have had to deal with such an event were thankful for the development of egress windows and for the building and safety codes they require. Egress code requires that a bedroom has an adequate exit in case of an emergent situation. They allow entry for firefighters in the event the main exit becomes blocked either by the flames themselves or a fallen structure. In the case of a below-grade or basement level fire egress windows are an excellent alternative escape route. Per building and safety codes egress windows must be easy to operate. In fact, a person with no training or prior knowledge of how to operate them should be able to do so easily. To meet local egress requirements a window must be a maximum of 44 inches from the floor with an opening minimum width of 20 inches, and a minimum height of 24 inches. It is extremely important to note that the overall opening for an egress window is required to be 5.7 square feet.  Egress windows are required in certain areas to protect you and your loved ones in the event of an emergency. However, there are other benefits to having egress windows, particularly in basements. Egress windows can literally brighten your day by adding more natural light to your basement. They also hold their value, and more often than not you can recoup your costs at resale.
Stand Down Safety Meeting — Billings, MT — Reynolds Window And Door
By Admin 17 Apr, 2020
We did our covid-19 safety stand down. Our local chapter of Home Builders Association has been super helpful with directives for keeping ourselves and our customers safe.
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