The door was forced, split, or damaged badly enough that Dad has agreed to replace it. Good. That is permission for a defined job, not permission to redesign his entrance, change every lock, or leave him guarding an open doorway while somebody searches for a missing part.
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The useful document is not a quote that says "replace exterior door." It is a contract that describes the whole opening and assigns every loose end.
Start with the opening, not the door slab
A door slab is only the moving panel. The opening may also include the frame, threshold, weatherstripping, hinges, trim, lock hardware, storm door, doorbell, alarm contact, paint, siding, plaster, and the wood behind the visible trim.
Walk the opening with Dad and the contractor. Put each existing part into one of three columns: stays, gets removed and reinstalled, or gets replaced. Photograph both sides of the opening before work starts.
If the frame was damaged, the contract should say whether the price covers removal of trim so the contractor can inspect concealed framing. It should also say what happens if rot, splitting, or another hidden condition appears. A blank phrase such as "additional repairs as needed" gives nobody a usable stopping point. Require a written change order describing the added work and added charge before that work begins.
Make the quote identify the actual products
Ask the contractor to name the door manufacturer, model or product line, material, dimensions, swing direction, glass configuration, finish, frame type, threshold, hinges, and lock preparation. If the exact product is unavailable, substitution should require Dad's approval in writing.
Do the same for the lock. The contract should state whether the installer is supplying new hardware, reusing Dad's hardware, or preparing the door for hardware supplied by someone else. It should say whether the new lock will use the existing key, receive a new key, or be keyed to another exterior door.
Count the keys that must be handed over at completion. Name who may receive them. "Keys provided" is not enough when one key goes to Dad, one stays with a son, and another is supposed to reach a neighbor.
Separate the product warranty from the labor promise
Ask for the door manufacturer's written warranty before Dad signs. Check which components it covers, what conditions are excluded, whether registration is required, who may submit a claim, and whether labor is included. The Federal Trade Commission advises buyers to examine coverage, exclusions, remedies, claim procedures, and possible labor charges instead of relying on the word "warranty" by itself (Federal Trade Commission, Warranties).
Then ask for the installer's workmanship warranty. That is a separate promise. It should identify the contractor responsible for correcting installation problems, explain how Dad reports a problem, and state whether a return visit, removal, labor, trim repair, and repainting are covered.
Watch for a gap where the manufacturer blames installation and the installer blames the product. Ask the contractor to put one first-call contact in the contract. Dad should not have to referee two companies while rain is coming through the threshold.
An added service contract is not automatically an extension of the included warranty. The FTC treats a separately sold service contract as different from a warranty. Compare its coverage with the manufacturer and workmanship warranties before paying for overlapping protection (Federal Trade Commission, Warranties).
Name the finish work
A working door can still leave Dad with bare wood, cracked plaster, exposed fasteners, a disconnected alarm contact, or trim stacked in the garage. The scope should say who will:
Remove and dispose of the damaged materials; protect floors and nearby furniture; reinstall or replace interior and exterior trim; patch disturbed wall surfaces; prime and paint specified surfaces; seal the exterior; reconnect the doorbell or alarm contact; reinstall the storm door; clean the work area; and remove packaging and debris.
If painting is excluded, say so plainly and decide who will do it. Ask whether the door or frame warranty requires prompt sealing or finishing. Put that requirement next to the name of the person responsible for completing it.
Write a completion test
Final payment should follow a short test that Dad can watch. Open and close the door several times. Lock and unlock every lock from both sides. Test every delivered key. Check that the latch catches without lifting or pulling the door. Look for visible daylight around the closed door. Test the storm door, doorbell, peephole, and alarm contact if they were part of the opening.
Also check whether the threshold, rug, screen, or nearby furniture now interferes with the route. The test is not whether the installer can make the door work once. The test is whether Dad can use the completed entrance the way the contract says he can.
Keep Dad as the buyer unless the paperwork says otherwise
If Dad owns the house and is making the agreement, the contract should identify him as the customer. You can help compare language, take photographs, and keep copies without casually signing as the buyer or promising payment yourself.
If a salesperson presents the agreement at Dad's home, ask whether the transaction carries a cancellation right and where the cancellation notice is. Missouri's attorney general describes a cancellation right for certain contracts personally solicited and presented in the buyer's home. Federal rules also cover certain sales made away from the seller's regular place of business, but exclusions can apply, including some requested repair visits and documented immediate emergencies (Missouri Attorney General, Door-to-Door Sales; Code of Federal Regulations, Rule Concerning Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other Locations).
Do not assume every in-home door contract can be canceled. Read the notice actually attached to Dad's agreement. If the cancellation language, emergency waiver, financing paper, or signature line is unclear, pause and get Missouri consumer-law help before relying on it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Leave one complete file inside the house
Before the crew leaves, collect the signed contract, approved change orders, final invoice, proof of payment, product labels, warranty documents, care instructions, photographs, and the contractor's claim contact. Record the number of keys delivered without writing the address on a loose key tag.
If the opening cannot be secured overnight, the contract should already say who provides the temporary closure, who holds the temporary keys, and when the contractor returns. Dad should not discover that arrangement after the old door is on the truck.
For the site's approach to checking claims and documents, see How We Write and Sources.
The next move tonight
Stand at the damaged entrance with the quote and a pen. Circle every part of the opening the quote does not name. Then send the contractor one written request: revise the scope to identify the frame repair, lock and key plan, finish work, warranty contacts, completion test, and overnight security plan before Dad signs or the old door comes out.