Hey Raj--I ought to show them this picture :-)
I am attaching the picture of the property in question. They're wanting the retaining wall at the sidewalk. They want their backyard perfectly level so they can participate in outdoor activities in their backyard. They're also planning on constructing a fence on this property once the wall is installed. My personal thought, if they wanted a level yard they should have purchased in a neighborhood not 2-3 miles away where the land is flat.
For those of you who noticed the tree, their initial thought was they could just fill around the tree
. I explained the problems associated with that, so now the "cheap labor" he's going to have install this retaining wall for him (instead of filling around the tree like they told him would be ok) are going to make a square around the tree, so the tree will be ~4' below grade....
If you look at the fence in the far view of the picture, you'll notice the neighbors (on both sides) have not built up their backyards. This guys thoughts are that his backyard will be almost level with the top of the neighbors fence.