You have a page of numbers and a signature line, and you are tired. Read it anyway. The quote is the only promise you have about a job in your parent's house, and most of the trouble that comes later starts in lines nobody read.
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Start with the scope
Find the sentence that says what the work includes. Look for the verbs that name the job: install, remove, haul away, patch, paint, test. If the quote says install a grab bar but does not say whether the wall is opened or whether the backing is checked, you cannot hold the contractor to a result you never wrote down. Ask them to list each task on its own line. A short, specific list is worth more than a long, friendly paragraph.
Find the exclusions
Most quotes have a second list, often at the bottom in smaller type, that says what is not included. Common examples are permits, disposal of old materials, touch-up after the work, and parts that turn out to be damaged once the old fixture comes off. Ask the contractor to read the exclusions aloud and to write them beside the scope. Anything they will not put in writing is a cost you should plan to carry yourself.
Read the change rule
Older houses surprise people. A wall is soft, a pipe is older than the plan, a door frame is out of square. Look for a line that explains how changes are priced and approved. It should say that extra work needs your written okay before it starts, and it should say how that okay is given. If the quote lets the crew decide and bill later, you are signing an open account.
Check the deposit and the schedule
Note how much is due before work begins and what that payment covers. Ask what happens to that money if the job is cancelled or delayed. Write down the start date, the finish date, and what happens if either one slips. Ask who will be on site, and whether the person who wrote the quote is the person who will show up.
Compare quotes line by line
Two quotes can look far apart only because they describe different jobs. Put them side by side and check that both include the same tasks, the same exclusions, and the same change rule. If one is missing a line, ask that contractor to clarify, or ask the other one to add it. You are comparing paperwork, not who seems nicer on the phone.
Keep the paper
Save the signed quote, every change request, and every receipt in one folder. Your parent's house will keep needing work, and you will be the one who has to find the sentence about the exclusion or the fix a year from now. For how we choose and check the public guides we cite, read How We Write.