Unfortunately from personal experience, developers cant be bothered doing any external work properly. It is a field beyond their capability! You should see some form of holes at the bottom of the walls or an agricultural pipe from behind taking the surplus water to a lower point. I doubt whether drainage has been addressed. Considering the height of the overall wall depth, you will need to consider this. Backfill against the walls should also not have been solely dirt. Drainage will need addressing, and the sloppy presentation of the flat areas I.e. uneven ground, before you address planting. THEN you consider the plants to use. Alison

Please provide some suggestions on how can I fix this slope. Is retaining wall the only solution or can something easier and cheaper be done? Thank you.

Dr Retro brings up a good point about the legalities , so that's where I'd start -- a bit of checking . But then I'd look at the bigger picture . Judging by the blinds , the ceiling has quite a slope on it , the top blinds are a greeny grey , the lower curtains cream , the walls white , the fan is white and basic , the floors and table a warm wood . So think where you want to end up -- at the least I'd look at dying or changing the upper blinds to charcoal and painting the railing charcoal . With that 'budget' version I'd leave the fan in white , so it blends in , or change to a wooden bladed ( or wood look ) fan -- I dislike a black fan in a room with lots of white , even with the wooden floors to warm the look . But my more luxe option -- get a new balistrade in polished copper ( yes , not cheap , not really sure but I'd guess $2-4k ? ) ; a 'plantation' fan in wood , copper , rattan and maybe white porcelain ; and get new upper blinds in vertical wood ( probably 100-125mm wide slats ) . Tie that in with the floor , the existing lower curtains -- a pleasant look IMO .

Its your rug, not gonna lie that's exactly what's wrong. Everything else can be worked with except that rug. I would rather look at floorboards than that rug. Go to a fabric shop and glue a pretty piece of fabric over the top of the rug if money is tight. Make sure fabric has that curtain plastic backing so glue doesn't show through. Also nothing in there has the same colour scheme, character, it comes from different era's, theme's, not sure how to explain it but... Cane chairs look like part of an outdoor setting, Wood chairs look like they are from a dining table, there is different wooden furniture with different stains all piled at one end of the room looking odd together. Then the chairs are too far apart to have a decent sit down and chat. The art is really random as well and not good Centre the small table in the window and put a big fern on it to give it width. It looks like a plant table. Split the room into two sections, use the skinnier end as like a card game area to play bridge or rummy. Use the larger section as your living\ talking area. Hang the TV on the wall. Use the tv unit as makeshift coffee table until you get something better. Put the two cane chairs closer together on the other end of the couch facing the window. Paint over your art pieces, even in white only, just texture the paint to make it look like something. All this is using pieces you already have. Now sit down and decide what look your going for in that room. Modern, Industrial, Farm house because your on a farm and just buy accordingly. Reuse your couch for now and just buy a white cover or cream and colour everything else. Buy some actual arm chairs that look inviting and cozy, throw rugs for everyone but pack them in a basket and don't do what magazines do by haphazardly throwing it on the couch. Like these baskets Extra or out of season cushions in one and blankets in the other. To intertwine modern and old they have to have a common ground? I don't know if that's the word but either the wood stain from modern and old should be similar/same or they have to have something in common besides function for them to mesh well together.