1600 not immune to old-house problems

Forget for a moment whether President Donald Trump truly believes the White House to be “a real dump,” as he has denied ever saying.

This much we know: Work orders for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. reveal the building to be, if not dumplike, well … a little bit worn, like so many other old houses.

There are the usual ceiling leaks.

The occasional overflowing toilet.

Chipped paint in need of a touch-up or two. And rodents and bugs, too. According to dozens of documents obtained by NBC Washington, mice infiltrations were reported in the White House’s Navy mess food-service area and Situation Room. There were at least four reports of cockroaches on the White House grounds, and ants in the chief of staff’s office.

The work orders cover much of 2017, including the last few weeks of the Obama presidency. The requests were fielded by the federal Public Buildings Service, which owns, leases and manages some 8,700 government facilities across the country, in addition to the White House.

The building — the cornerstone was laid in 1792 — consists of 55,000 square feet of floor area spread out over 132 rooms. It is not the easiest structure to keep up.

“It’s an enormous job. GSA is assigned to manage that job,” Brian Miller, former inspector general of the General Services Administration, which includes the Public Buildings Service, told the NBC affiliate. “GSA hires contractors and subcontractors for the (maintenance) work.”

Using the GSA’s figures, NBC Washington estimated that the building costs the agency at least $100,000 to maintain each year.

Earlier this year, the West Wing was the focus of a longneeded renovation that took place during one of Trump’s stints at the golf course and property he owns in Bedminster, New Jersey.

It was at that same property where, according to Golf magazine, Trump said to fellow golfers that the “White House is a real dump.”