The Cheap Bid That Can Wreck Your Remodel

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Scott and Brigitte Ruckman of Defined Renovations to talk about home remodeling, commercial renovations, trust, craftsmanship, and why the cheapest bid can become the most expensive decision.

Scott and Brigitte share how their faith-based husband and wife team helps clients with kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, room additions, exterior renovations, commercial build-outs, storm damage repairs, and full renovation projects across Oklahoma. Their focus is not just making a space look better, but building something that serves the client well long after the final walkthrough.

This conversation gets into the remodeling myths that can cost homeowners and business owners real money: TV timelines, one-day bathroom promises, vague pricing, poor communication, and contractors who disappear once the job starts. Scott and Brigitte explain why a good renovation requires planning, transparency, clear expectations, and a contractor who treats trust like part of the job.

You’ll also hear how Defined Renovations has grown largely through referrals, why they stay involved from the first conversation to the final walkthrough, and how they help clients make smart decisions before small issues turn into expensive surprises.

If you are planning a home renovation, business remodel, kitchen update, bathroom project, or Oklahoma storm damage repair, this episode is worth hearing before you hire the wrong contractor.

The cheapest bid is not always the best deal.

Transcript

Welcome To The Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Brandon Andris Green.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live.

Meet Defined Renovations And Services

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Thinking about remodeling your home or business, wanting someone who values craftsmanship, transparency, and trust. Well, one maybe closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Scott and Bridget Ruckman with Defined Renovations. Scott, Bridget, how's it going?

SPEAKER_03 0:36

It's going great.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

It's going great. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Thank you so much for having us. We are truly blessed to be a part of this. So thank you for the opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

You're so welcome. It'll be fun. So we're excited to learn all about the two of you, Define Renovations, and how your faith-based husband and wife team helps people transform their spaces. Will you tell us a little bit about Define Renovations and the kind of interior and exterior remodeling work you guys do?

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Absolutely. Define Renovations is a faith-based, it's a husband and wife team. We work together in this to create the spaces for clients that um meet their needs, more or less. We work on full renovations, uh, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, room additions, even some new construction, commercial build-outs. We're doing quite a few of those right now, exterior renovations from roofing down to the foundation. Pretty much we can take care of most of those things.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Absolutely. And the one thing about um defined renovations is our goal isn't just to remodel a space, it's to create an environment that serves our clients well for years to come while making the entire process smooth and stress-free as possible. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

And how'd you guys get into this?

How They Got Into Remodeling

SPEAKER_03 2:03

Oh, it is we'll give you the short version. Um, it has this has been a God ordained thing. Um, we say this is our business, but in reality it's it's his business. Um, it is the Lord's business, and we are here to steward over it. And um we are a blended family, and the Lord brought Scott and I together about 14 years ago, and um we have very similar backgrounds, and we have, and I was adding this up. Um, I need to edit this on the the website, but we have um over 20 years of experience. Um collaborative, we have close to like 30 in the south. Yeah, yes, we're not old, um but we absolutely and we've been exposed to um the spaces that the Lord has put us in that we've questioned like why are we here? Because we um we've been in those spaces of construction. So he um he comes with you've worked with um construction industry, I have too. I've been more on the back end, um, and he's been on the back and the front end. So he's like the the frontline man, and he brings so much knowledge. We are very passionate about serving um our clients and being put in spaces to transform them, and we believe it's a calling. Um and so the gifts, he is so great at the the design, the um the construction, the build, communication. Um jumped in.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

You got it.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

Yeah, so the Lord put us together, and we have um this has been operating for a few years, and um we are running with it, and we're very passionate about the remodeling, remodeling, um, and just taking going into a space and transforming it and updating

TV Remodel Myths About Time And Cost

SPEAKER_03 4:06

it.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

So would you say there are some uh common myths homeowners or business owners tend to have um when they're starting a remodeling project?

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Well, honestly, some of the most common that we've seen here lately and has been going on for probably about the last five or six years, is reality shows have become a big impact on the remodeling industry. Oh, yes, a lot. And with remodeling on a TV show, it's always that quick end, get it done, we're on the road. That's not the case. Every job's different. Um, that's probably one of the biggest issues to overcome right off the bat is time frames. Okay, with defined renovations, we define pretty much everything, scope of work, it goes through the entire process, and most of the time it's a lot longer than what people think. Uh the one-day bathroom models, I'm sorry, that's a one-day bathroom model, get what you get, truthfully. Uh, we're a little bit different than that. So, yeah, that's one of the myths, misconceptions in that aspect, and also the price points. So, when you get to the price points, cheapest quality or cheapest price gets you to the cheapest quality. Bottom line. I can say that with all certainty. Absolutely. Um, we um we expand on the price and we do provide options and we look at all aspects.

SPEAKER_03 5:23

So we're very transparent when that's the thing. When people come to us, um, we're not your quick fix. Um we we would love to have that superpower of getting it done in a day, but that's not reality. And so um, those are the two misconceptions that they can be done very quickly, and then um the least expensive. Yeah, so again, you get what you pay for, absolutely, and we we pride ourselves on um and we take it seriously, we we um make sure that there's a quality and there's a transparency with us. You see every everything. Um, we have it itemized, and so um just want to throw that out there. That's where the transparency comes in. So, yes.

Problems Clients Bring Them To Solve

SPEAKER_02 6:12

So when someone first reaches out to you guys, what kind of project or problem are they usually trying to solve?

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Uh, whether it's a space problem, uh, maybe it's outdated, they've got an issue with well, here lately it's been storm damage. We've had a lot of storm damage with weather here in uh in Oklahoma. But um it is usually something that needs a solution. So each one is a little bit different, quite a bit different, whether it's the commercial side or the residential side, but it's typically solution based. We look for solutions and provide those. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

And so, how do you uh how do people usually find you guys?

Referrals, Reputation, And Social Media

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Oh goodness, that's primarily been referrals. We don't do a lot of advertising that's out there, uh mainstream, um, and we keep pretty busy with referral base. So that's previous clients that are very happy with our work and they're referring other clients to us. Um, my name has been thrown around in the commercial industry as a general contractor for uh commercial fit outs. So that's bringing new new environments together for commercial use. Um, that's been going around quite a bit here lately, but she works a lot. My beautiful wife here works a lot on the social media side of things, and we've got that off the ground, getting that a little bit more consistent in social media.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

And that was that was such a journey. Um, we wanted to grow our company organically, and of course, in today's day and age, you have to have a digital footprint. Well, there was a lot of uh submitting I had to do. I was just I was like, okay, we will get ourselves out there on social media. So we do have a Facebook page and an Instagram page, and so um we are looking to grow and expand our presence on social media, um, move forward in that capacity. But generally, we're here we've been operating on referrals, so we're old school.

Residential Versus Commercial Work

SPEAKER_02 8:12

And do you guys mostly do residential or commercial? How does that work?

SPEAKER_01 8:18

It is mainly residential, and uh, I would say probably about 70% residential, 30% commercial. That'd be a good way to quantify that.

SPEAKER_03 8:26

Yes, we do homes and businesses and yeah, interior, exterior.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

Nice. And so outside of work, what do you guys do for fun?

Life Outside Work And Fitness

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Fitness, I mean, that's my thing.

SPEAKER_03 8:40

Sleep. No, I'm saying we're business owners. We need to stay up for that, yeah. No, in our downtime, we are we just love getting out there. Fitness is a big thing. Um, staying active, going outside, um, taking drives, and then you're you're a runner. Yes, I'm a runner. Um and so just staying active. We have a um we love spending time with family and then also traveling.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

Traveling.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Um, yes, we're taking a pause on traveling right now. Um, and um, yeah, and then we're really involved in our church, so that's fun for us. We have we have a very yes, a very amazing church family.

Changing The Game With Transparency

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Amazing. What's one thing you want our our listeners to really remember about fine renovations?

SPEAKER_03 9:34

Oh goodness, you want me to take it or do you? Oh thank you. Um oh, okay. We we want people to remember us um in being more than just a remodeling company. Um, we are here. One of the reasons too in being in this business is we wanted to change the game. Um we know that there's maybe we we know that there's this um reputation contractors have out there. And believe me, we've gone through the ringer as well. And so we wanted to change the game and and create an environment where there's transparency, there's communication, and we're the remodeling company that is there from day one until it's over. So we're not there day one, bye-bye. We're there daily, we're on site, um, there's communication, um, and relationships are very important to us. So just because we start the project and then it ends, it doesn't end for us. We are relationships are very important, and so we um pray that we will continue the relationship moving forward. So we're relationship-based, and what you see is what we what you get. We're we're very straightforward. Um, and whether it's a small repair or um or update or remodeling, we're here to to help with your residential, commercial, remodeling needs, whether it's inside or outside.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

So to expand on that one one thing in there about remember to find renovations. Um, pretty easy. I'm the one that's always on site. Um, there is no foreman that's out there uh filling my place or anything like that. I am on site um pretty much for the entire project, and not 24 hours a day, but I am there. Um we have boundaries. I don't I don't rely on a foreman uh to to look at those things. Now, if we grow, there there will probably be that coming in. But nonetheless, uh I'm very hens on. I want to make sure that our clients are taken care of.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

So absolutely, and yeah, we're very grateful and we're we're we're just grateful to be um able to steward over this business, and um, we look forward to continuing in the kingdom and serving people because there's a bigger mission here that um we want to help fund the kingdom so um keep those moving on the front lines.

How To See Work And Get Started

SPEAKER_02 12:14

Yeah, how can listeners learn more, maybe see your work or get in touch?

SPEAKER_03 12:21

So social media, we are posting on Instagram and Facebook, we have um projects um and also our website. So our website is is we do have a presence there. We are looking to um get additional pictures and videos on there, so currently in the process of that, but we do have our work. Um and if there's anything specific, if anybody has questions, our number is located on the social media pages as well as the website, and um there's also a questionnaire form that they can submit on the website, but we're here to to just um we're here to walk them through the process from beginning to end, and um it's just you got to start somewhere. So if they if there's a vision that they have, if there's something they want to um just talk it out, we're here. We're here and we can provide them with options and um and explain the process and how we can bring their vision to life, whether they go with us or not. So we pray they go with us, of course.

Wrap-Up And Nominate A Business

SPEAKER_02 13:29

So well, Scott, Bridget, I really appreciate you guys being on the show. We wish you and Definer Innovations the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

We are so honored, and again, thank you for this opportunity to be a part of this.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptulsa.com. That's gmptulsa.com or call 918 301 6356.