'White House' News: POTUS Residence Undergoing Renovations as Trump Stays in New Jersey Golf Resort
After the Obama administration approved the budget for the renovations of the White House, constructions for the makeover of the official resident of the President of the United States (POTUS) have finally begun.
According to reports, renovation works in the White House began last Friday, Aug. 11, just an hour after President Donald Trump left the place as he boarded the Air Force One that took him to his Bedminster golf resort in New Jersey, where he will be staying for 17 days until the renovation works are done.
It has been learned that the renovations will cover the overhaul of the White House's heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system (HVAC) and deliver upgrades to the building's IT system, mess hall, and outdoor spaces. As the iconic structure has been plagued with ceiling leaks and a house-fly infestation issues, with Trump even being rumored to have ordered his former chief of staff to kill one earlier this year, it is expected that the renovations will address the said concerns, too.
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Because of the renovations, the main Oval office of the White House is now devoid of any furniture pieces, while the West Wing staffers have been relocated to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
According to an earlier statement of White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters, the total cost of the renovations will cost a little more than $3 million, with $1.965 million going to the upgrade of the HVAC and $1.17 million for carpet replacements. An estimated amount of $275,000 is also allotted for the refreshing the paintings.
"This expenditure is in line, or under, what the past three prior administrations have spent," Walters told Fortune via an email.
The budget for the renovations of the HVAC systems was awarded in 2014 during the time of former President Obama, while the amount for the carpet replacements and painting refreshes is included in Trump's budget for the 2017 fiscal year.
