(Oprah.com) -- When Chicagoan Tammy Jo Long visited Savannah, Georgia, ten years ago, she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks, corner cafÃ©s -- and grand architecture.





Long had always been a design aficionado, but the Italianate and Victorian homes she encountered in Savannah became "an obsession," she says. "I saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds, and I was hooked." So hooked, in fact, that she decided to buy a second home there, closing the deal on her next visit.





Oprah.com: What's Your Design Style?





Her learning curve:





Long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory. Though she'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years, a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the Savannah architecture she loved was daunting.





Oprah.com: 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know





But the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring eBay for doorknobs paid off: Every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s. Yearning to share her handiwork, Long turned the home into a vacation rental. Soon, enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays.





Oprah.com: ingenious ways to decorate small spaces





Her business model:





In 2003 Long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes, traveling between Savannah and Chicago (where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son). "Some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years," Long says. "They had rats you could put a saddle on."





Oprah.com: 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women





They're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings, elaborate plaster medallions, and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through Luxury Living Savannah, Long's vacation rental company. As much as she adores re-creating these relics, Long loves sharing them even more. "People get to stay in a piece of history," she says. "Women get to be Scarlett O'Hara for the weekend. I take great pleasure in that."





Oprah.com: 8 people who turned their dreams into reality





Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE.


Subscribe now!





TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is available for rent? Where are Long's renovations available to rent? Where were the homes located? what type of renovations did long do where are these houses located What became Longs obsession? what became Tammy Jo Long's obsession
the home Savannah, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia, historically accurate Savannah, Georgia, Italianate and Victorian homes she encountered in Savannah Italianate and Victorian homes
question: What is available for rent?, answer: the home | question: Where are Long's renovations available to rent?, answer: Savannah, Georgia, | question: Where were the homes located?, answer: Savannah, Georgia, | question: what type of renovations did long do, answer: historically accurate | question: where are these houses located, answer: Savannah, Georgia, | question: What became Longs obsession?, answer: Italianate and Victorian homes she encountered in Savannah | question: what became Tammy Jo Long's obsession, answer: Italianate and Victorian homes