It would be taxed as ordinary income no matter what.

I'd leave some of the stones to have a patio area for eating and a pathway to the shed. 

This is achievable (we've done it with single-family homes) by giving a much higher purchase price. 0% interest is good for the seller because they will get taxed based on the long-term capital gains rate, as opposed to the ordinary income tax rate if they're collecting interest payments.

But this is something peculiar to this year which is hardly an ordinary one.  

Uzma, her husband everybody calls “Hubby” and a couple from the Toronto area, Bill and Francine, are sitting on a covered patio of a nice house in Irvine, CA, enjoying some wine and crackers.Bill and Francine came to visit when Uzama invited them, but they were both also really curious how Uzma’s and Hubby’s life had changed so much in the last few years.Here is how Uzma tells the story of their journey (with some questions from Bill and Francine):In Feb 2021 we were wondering if we wanted to keep flipping houses in Texas, should we rent here in Irvine, should we buy a place, can we get to financial independence any time in the foreseeable future?

And also, you are not listing condition of roof, HVAC, fences, porches/patios, windows, siding, blinds, etc.  

Whereas any income you get from lending your money would be taxed as ordinary income. 

Lesson learned - It makes much more sense to design something unique that you would love instead of something mundane and ordinary.

One very important point is if your real estate activity is passive or ordinary. 

This could be forming a business in your profession to enable deduction of ordinary and necessary business expenses.