Passionate historical home renovator Tammy Jo Long basks in a sumptuous kitchen.

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Savannah, Georgia's Italianate and Victorian homes became Tammy Jo Long's obsession

Long researched floor plans and fixture resources to get a historically accurate renovation

Long's renovations are available to rent for a vacation in Savannah

Oprah.com  — 

When Chicagoan Tammy Jo Long visited Savannah, Georgia, ten years ago, she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks, corner cafés – 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.

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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.

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One of Long's renovated Savannah, Georgia homes.

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.

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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.”

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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.”

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