In January of 1994, the conservation and alteration for adaptive re-use of the Duff Baby House took place in Sandwich, Ontario. Built in1798, it is one of the oldest structures in Ontario still on its' original site. It had been used continuously as a residence until its' acquisition, in 1987, by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. From 1987, the building served as the regional office of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Recreation.

Architectural investigation of this significant building began in 1994, with the exact scope of work undetermined at the outset. Operating under a fixed budget of $650,000, the extent of required repairs and cost effective solutions were established as the investigation proceeded. Initially, the existing cement/asbestos shingle siding was removed by a specialist contractor to ensure minimal damage to the two-hundred year old weatherboards beneath.

At this point, a timber engineering consultant was engaged to provide information regarding timber species, condition and structural adequacy. It was determined that most of the sill plate had deteriorated and required replacement. In order to facilitate this work, the house was shored and lifted hydraulically approximately 3 inches to allow the original sill to be lifted and replaced with a new sill to match. Foundation repair was completed prior to the sill replacement. Original mortar was removed by hand and the walls were re-pointed with a lime based mix.

The majority of the windows dated from 1798 and these were removed, restored and reinstalled. The removal of the siding revealed the trace of a door pediment that was taken down in the 1830's to allow the fitting of the first full width porch. This original detail was recreated during restoration.