I get mixed up with bound and rebound as well. I'm never quite sure which is which. (I believe the proper terms are extension and compression.)
I generally build a damper the same way as Granpa. When installing the bladder and cap, I have the piston and rod all the way up inside the damper. I'm trying to make the damper as neutral as possible, so if I were to push the piston upwards, it would stay where I put it. To answer your question more specifically, some cars are set up to have more movement out (extension) of the damper than in (compression).