UPDATE: Have REDUCED my rating for this review. The retaining wall Bally and his team built initially looked great. But I had to call him back in 2010 a week after he was done because when my kid walked on the wall one of the stones literally flipped off. Figured it was a fluke, called Bally and he came out and re-glued it. He had told me the stones would break before the glue came apart on that wall, and he personally guaranteed his work. Well in Spring 2012 (just 18 months later) we found a whole corner section of the wall has become seperated from the rest. You can literally move that whole section with your foot. Have left Bally three messages, got his answering machine, no response back. Am worried now with Winter coming, water freezing in that crack and pushing the wall apart further. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND BALLY. He told me if I posted a good review on HomeStars, he would give me a good price on the next job, but I would NEVER USE HIM AGAIN. Too bad, seemed like a nice guy.
ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW - PLEASE NOTE THE NEW COMMENT ABOVE: The retaining wall at the front of our house was old/ugly poured concrete, and leaning dangerously. Bally's estimate for completing the demolition and constructing a new wall was competitive. After getting a few different quotes from others, we decided to go ahead with Bally because he seemed trustworthy, reviews on this site were good, and the price was right. Bally and his crew - Mike, Billy, Paul, and others - were all amazing. They all worked very hard to get the job done, despite the usual unexpected surprises that come with any job. In particular, Mike's artistic skills with stone were impressive, it was amazing to watch him at work. Bally constantly kept me updated with progress on the job, he always returned my calls, and he always conducted himself fairly and professionally - you never got the sense that he was looking to make a few extra bucks by adding on extras. Even though Bally was happy to leave our front lawn as-is, we asked him to regrade and resod the lawn, we were so impressed with his work. Basically, he seems to respect his clients and their needs, and for that reason I would recommend him very highly. Our new front lawn and retaining wall has gotten rave reviews from neighbours and I believe Bally when he says he guarantees his work, and will make it right if any issues arise in the future.