Alphascapes

Hired Alphonse of Alphascapes and paid him by credit card a 50% deposit to replace my tile in 2023. He never came back to start the job. After waiting 8 months I asked for a refund and he promised to bring a check. He has never refunded my money.

Extremely well. Crew showed up consistently and worked a set schedule, which we appreciated. Didn't want such expensive work being done by tired folks. The site was cleaned up daily. They asked us daily if everything met our expectations. Any changes were documented on paper by the owner and we had to sign it to make sure we were all in agreement. Excellent. The crew as polite and friendly and cared about the details.

Since the service, we have done and added a lot to improve things ourselves. Here is an overview of our experience with this company. Buyer beware! It started when they removed our front tree that had been planted by the builder and took it, along with the stakes and donated it! He said he was sure we would not mind. How do you respond to that? The front kidney bed was not built up with enough soil or the area around it properly leveled, and now the metal border is almost invisible. We will have to pay someone to come and do a proper job. It had been agreed that they would place sod on the sides of the house. To help save us some money, they dug up sod from the back where they placed the bed and used it on one side along the house. Problem was, it was muddy clumps. They just sat the clumps on the existing mulch without filling in or leveling. We could not even close our gate. Then he never showed up to do the other side, and once again we had to pay someone. It would have been easier and cheaper just to hire someone to place sod properly. We had to have him come and replant a tree along the front walk to the patio planted by his men that had its root ball above the soil and visible voids all around it, and it took weeks, even after sending photos. We had to request that he return to stake all the trees because none of them had been staked. After many plants in the back bed were doing poorly (as early as February, and they were well protected by us from weather), we replaced them ourselves in late spring. After summer came, plants started dying for the second time, and after our hiring someone else to help with this, we saw that his crew had not cut the heavy liner out from under the plants and shrubs before they planted them. This is why they had rotted and had not been able to grow proper roots. They are professional landscapers and did not know this? We ourselves had to dig up plants, cut away liner directly underneath, and replant them (we have the pieces of liner in bags to prove it). No plants in any other areas of the yard died, because there was no liner. We notified the landscaper of our findings and were assured that the men knew to do this and sometimes might forget a plant or 2. It appears that only the trees had the liner cut from underneath, and there were many more plants and shrubs. We absorbed all of these costs. There are still shrubs with liners under them that he has not come to remove and will not respond to. We waited weeks and weeks for him and never got a response. When he finally responded, he said he does not answer e mails or texts on weekends. He also does did not answer during the week. He finally showed up weeks ago to check and removed only one part of liner under a rosemary that was still dying (the second one planted in the same location by us before saw the liner). He promised to return if it died in 3 days. It has been weeks, it is dead brown, and he never returned and does not answer calls or respond to the photo sent. The first time he brought the plants for planting, he brought and planted some of the wrong ones because he had not even checked with the nursery! He put a metal border from the side of our brick home to the neighbor's stone border to block off a bush he planted by the A/C (instead of curving it or squaring it off). It created a dam where water could not flow and threatened the A/C. He ignored e mails and photos until we told him more heavy rains were coming that threatened our unit. He came over in the dark unannounced and pulled up the metal and left it against our house, never to return to complete it. We saw it the next morning. Again, we had to pay someone to do it. He had to come back several times after the project to add soil because he had miscalculated settling, and the back bed irrigation was all exposed (only 2 months after installation). We were inexperienced with landscapers and had always done our own where the soil was not rock. We ended up planting many additional plants ourselves to improve the appearance of what he and his men had done. We were charged an outrageous amount for what we got , and neighbors were stunned. When we first got the estimate, he wanted cash for the entire thing up front. Who does that? We paid half at the beginning and half when complete. This is just a portion of our experience. The stress, anxiety, hours and days and weeks and months of waiting have taken their toll. Our neighbors have witnessed all of this, and we do not want anyone to experience what we did. I will say that they did show up once to change around some plants and to plant a tree and bushes we had bought. They also added some soil and mulch because he said that it needed it. We also had them bring in more soil to compensate for a low wall that the builder had placed behind the back mound. The landscaper told us that because of what we had been through, he would give us an hour of free labor. There was a balance from that of around $300. We would have gladly paid, had everything been completed as promised. As it stands, until he finally comes to replace the plant he said he would and to remove the liner from underneath the remaining back bed shrubs, he will not get his balance. He is well aware of this. Never mind all of the hundreds of dollars we have spent ourselves replacing plants and paying others to correct his work. We trusted this guy. He appeared to be genuine and honest. Had the job been done properly, he would have never heard from us again. Work performed improperly caused plants to die and continues to cost us even more to hire others to do the work properly. We are also stunned by what we were charged, as the cost of what he planted could not have been more than $2000. With only soil, mulch and a day of labor, how can the total come to almost $12,000? In fact, when they did our job in November 2015, they did not even have a warranty sheet to hand us. We were only recently e mailed one, 9 months after the work.... He told us that because the company had just merged when they did our work, that they did not have one at that time! We threatened legal action and to contact the BBB. After that , he showed up to take the liner from under a dying rosemary and never returned. This is our first experience with this type of shoddy work. The head guy claims that they have an excellent reputation. This may apply to stonework and to other big clients, but it has not been our personal experience. We still do not know where all the costs came from because we scaled the job way back and never received a revised invoice with itemized costs, despite repeated requests. How could we be so foolish and naive? Good question. It happens. Do your homework. We have never written a negative review like this before.

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He totally understood what I wanted. I drew the design. They laid it out. We made minor adjustments to the layout, and then they built it. They were excellent workers. Excellent job! Beautiful. Can't say enough good about the provider.

When I contacted Austin StoneScapes I was informed that they had about a 6 week backlog of work under contract but would be happy to have Rolando Balli come out and work up an estimate. We established a time for an appointment and Rolando was on time and extremely helpful in working up a design within our budget. We agreed to have Austin Stonescapes do our project and 4 weeks after our initial contact, their office staff called and said that they were still on schedule and expect to start our project as we had agreed. 1 week later they call back and arranged to have the stone delivered to the site prior to the project start. The stone was delivered on schedule and Rolando and his stonemasons arrived to begin the project exactly 6 weeks after I first contacted them. AMAZING! The stonemasons who worked on our project were artists at their craft and also highly professional. The work was completed in the time that they had estimated and they kept the worksite clean and tidy. Rolando visited the site often to insure our satisfaction and to provide supervision to the crew. Rolando was there with his crew chief for the final inspection. Because he had been so involved during the installation, no corrections were needed. The quality of the worked performed by Austin StoneScapes was excellent and my wife and I are extremely please with the results. I would highly recommend this company for stonework and plan on having them back in early 2016 to install stone on an existing patio and front porch.

Rolando & crew turned an open patch of grass into a dream of patio that fit all of our requirements.  After going through over six consultations with patio and stonescape providers on Angie's List, Rolando's (Austin Stonescapes) attention to detail, along with understanding what we wanted, and flexibility on design won us over.
Items that stood out to us on exceptional service:
 - Gave Pro's and Con's to every suggestion - not just a 'Yes Man' contractor
 - Communication - phone or email, accessible both ways. If not him, his assistant was quick on the trigger
 - Functional over Fashion - focused on grading, future proofing, and safety vs. this will look good.  Don't get us wrong, we wanted it to look good, too, but functional and safe was a great foundation to start
 - Good surprises over bad ones - he would always tell us if he had a different idea or wanted to try something that would look good, it was communicated. Any issues we found, it felt like it was communicated prior to us finding out anything for ourselves
 - Cleaning up after themselves. From the backyard to the front yard and driveway
Update:  3 mos. Later
Deck is standing strong and settling in well. The real test was the grading and water run off from heavy rains. Everything performed extremely well. I can't state enough on the quality of work.

Rolando and his team did an outstanding job.  Gilda in the office provided excellent communication throughout the project.  They used some materials that I already had and then helped find other materials as well.  I ended up running short on some brick and they were able to locate nearly identical brick from another job and GAVE IT TO ME to help finish out my project.
The team worked quickly and the quality of their work was very good.  I would definitely use Austin Stonescapes again.

From the time of the initial consult and visit, Rolando and Gilda had been very professional in communicating with me on time. They always gave me updates on when they thought the project was going to start and when it was going to finish. They used email and phone consistently to ensure that I was aware of the progress of the project. Both Saul and Macario (Rolando's chief stone masons) are excellent in what they do. I am very pleased with their work. They are a pleasure do do business with. I would highly recommend Austin Stonescapes!

This project could not have gone any better!!! Everyone connected with Austin Stone Scapes is excellent.  Gilda, who works in the office and schedules the work, is very personable and works to make you happy.  Rolando Balli, the owner, is professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and full of ideas. The crew of four who actually did the installation were friendly, worked fast and were masters of their craft.  They were careful in working around the plants that were already in the flowerbed, took care not to disturb the sprinkler lines, and cleaned EVERYTHING up when finished.  We appreciated that Mr. Balli never left the job site - he was there to supervise every step of the way.  He knew what we wanted and showed us some unique ideas that were incorporated as they worked.  This was a truly professional job from start to finish - the 3-4 levels of stones were properly set in a cement base, the grout work is excellent, weep holes were placed throughout the stonework, and everything is perfectly level!  We let Mr. Balli choose the stone (giving him ideas on color and type) and it works perfectly with the brick on our home.  All of this was done in about 4 hours. We are presently working with Austin Stone Scapes on a project for the fall - we're having them come back to reface our inside fireplace.

Perfect in every way... prompt professional, courteous, excellent quality...

Rolando took elements from three different design plans that I liked and formulated a final fireplace that far exceeded my high expectations. They were incredibly meticulous in their craft. The crew was very neat and orderly. The master mason is masterful. He is an artist and sculptor that creates beauty out of rock.  The plan included a 5ft. fireplace, 2 built in storage compartments for firewood, a wrap around bench that open up into a planter. The added a few inches to the cement slab of my patio. The had me choose the rocks for the entire design. It was the most enjoyable construction experience I have ever had. The professionalism, the care and the pride that Rolando and his crew have in their work is rare and such a pleasure. I would recommend them highly for any landscape, stonescape or any job you may want to hire them for. You will not regret the investment you make in your home if you hire this amazing team. I would  love to attach photos of their work so that you can see for yourself why I am delighted with my outdoor living space. My neighbors all want what I have.
In addition, Rolando is fair and reasonable. I went with him to purchase all of the material. His estimate was very accurate.
I can say a million positive compliments about this company.

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On time, within budget, nice looking creative fence that blends with both of our homes styles. The fence is unique, accommodates my obtrusive old cedar tree, blends with my own vertical cedar post fence, and provides privacy and will last a LONG TIME! The look, feel and quality is refreshing. No "regular" fencing here. Great job***see photo!

It all started with a vague fencing concept. I trusted this team and the project grew as I saw what a great job they were doing. The crew was on time, worked all day, was extremely creative, was clean; the weeks flew by. My biggest problem was drainage and it was corrected. When it rains, my rain barrels fill and spill over into a "dry creek" (so does my neighbors up hill run-off) that flows through and off the property; the entire property is fence with hog-wire and cedar fencing. The Xeri-scaping took an out of control lot and made it manageable and user friendly. With the variance of stone and wood work, it flows like Disneyland-I now have: a Texas Washers area, fenced lot to section off areas and keep in dogs; entertainment/eating area; a limestone BBQ/fire pit seating area that serves outdoor cooking and a place to relax, uniquely designed cedar benches seating under/around an oak tree, a "Zen" area intimate for two; a "Sanctuary" area more enclosed with solid Cedar post fencing for privacy where there are fruit trees and drought resistant plants and the end of the "creek". Now, I LOVE THE RAIN! Rolando Bali's team was/is unbelievably creative and can make your dreams come true. The small front porch was enlarged by removing wood enclosures and expanding the entrance/steps and walk-ways by adding to the existing flagstone.

I've wanted to replace my fireplace for a while.  It was a beautiful craftsman style light wood mantle with green marble tile but it was large and the color of the tile was dated.  Rolando suggested replacing it as part of a large update I'm doing.  He said that his team could build a new stone fireplace for me.

I looked through many pictures of modern/contemporary stone fireplaces on Bing and found the picture of the fireplace I wanted.  His team then picked the stone that most closely matched the picture and began to build the fireplace. 

Many times when people try to recreate a picture, it comes out differently. In this case, it was almost exactly like the picture and I was really pleased.

When the final pieces were done, I was very happy but the designer who architected the fireplace wasn't. The stone that was against the wall didn't look up to his standards so he suggested a change.  I originally didn't want a mantle on the fireplace because I don't plan on putting anything on it.  The designer suggested that we put a small mantle and would face the edge of the limestone (which was rough) outward so it could be a nice contrast to the flat limestone that faced out on the rest of the fireplace. The   I couldn't see it in my head but I've learned to trust him.

When the final project was finished, it was absolutely beautiful and the small mantle took what was already a beautiful stone fireplace to a place of beauty that I couldn't have imagined. Every time I walk by it, I smile. Rather than a very large fireplace that consumed the living space, I have this beautiful, elegant stone fireplace that is still the focal point of the room but is a piece of art.

Rolando Balli and StoneScapes were recommended to me by Whittlesey's Landscape Designs in Round Rock TX.   I presented him a rough sketch of my walkway design.   Rolando listened well, helped me modify specifics (color and contrast) while keeping the design integrity.   He is a great communicator.   The design involved custom cuts of large rocks.   He explained pros and cons of different rock types.  He advised me of techniques to make the design last forever (type of base, concrete, etc.)   We discussed  the curve of the walkway (placing stones) before we made final decisions.  He kept in touch on progress and made my dream come to life.   I get a LOT of compliments from visitors, and am hiring him to do more around my yard.

Rolando and his team were very professional and cleaned the work area every evening before they left. They had some excellent suggestions on design, type of stone to use, and completed the work within the timeframe quoted. They made sure that we were consulted on each stage of the design and construction. The finished product is absolutely beautiful, functional and a outdoor room I am proud to show off. I would highly recommend Austin Stonescapes to anyone interested in building a beautiful outdoor room.

I decided to landscape one of my rental properties.  I knew I wanted a eco-friendly solution since its is corner home and has really bad drainage.   The yard was filled with dead grass, dead plants and lots of bad weeds.
I called Rolando; he came, visited my property and made some wonderful and affordable suggestions for my yard. Rolando came highly recommended by a local nursery.
I had Three things that I was looking for:
1) Avoid the drainage problems.

2) I wanted plants that required minimal water usage.
3) Remove as much grass as possible in the front yard without looking horrible.  I was tired or replacing the grass every time I got new tenants.
Rolando and his team got to work quickly. He suggested Texas Native plans and beautiful rocks to replace the dead  grass.   The yard was totally transformed.  The quality of their work was top notch.  Now I have a beautiful yard  in my rental home and no more drainage problems!  
Rolando  and his staff were an absolute delight to work with and they were always on time. Rolando provides a different approach to landscaping. I would definitely suggest using this company you will not be disappointed.