On Sept. 8, someone will find themselves the owner of a new, approximately 3,200-square-foot home in Bossier City’s Duckwater Landing subdivision. But the real winner will be current and future patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

For the 35th year, the home — built by Rodgers Homes & Construction and with virtually all work and products donated by vendors and subcontractors — will be given to the winner of the KTBS 3/St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. Because of high demand in recent years, a record 16,500 tickets were available for sale at $100 each. Each ticket has been sold.

“It’s our baby,” said Jenny Rodgers, Rodgers Homes & Construction’s business manager and wife of builder Philip Rodgers.

The fresh color palette for the new Dream Home is brighter this year, and color is impactful. A unique ceiling design is also a standout.

“We obviously want everybody to love it and be pleased. We want it to be their dream home. There are so many incredible amenities that I think anybody would be thrilled to get it.“

This year’s Dream Home, located at 779 Duckwater Landing, has an estimated value of $675,000. It features four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, and has been in the design and build process since last December.

The open kitchen, dining and living room makes for a comfortable family space.

“Philip is always looking for something different,” Rodgers said. “This is a custom house where he gets to make a lot of decisions, whereas with a homeowner, we have to work within their style. This is something Philip can play with, bringing in some trends he wants while keeping it classic to appeal to the masses. He likes to do something a little different, but not do something out of left field.”

The Dream Home will be open for tours each weekend until the giveaway. When you arrive, you will notice that “something a little different.”

A butler’s pantry keeps some of the busy work out of the kitchen.

“Overall, the look of the exterior is just a little bit different,” Rodgers said. “It’s not what I’ve seen going up on other homes — dream homes or not. The look of windows going up diagonally on the front of the house. It’s not the white painted brick everywhere. It’s got the porte cochere.

We haven’t done that in several years. It’s a completely different style outside.”

Clean lines along with shape, texture and tone bring light to the living room.

The home also has a large outdoor patio, with an electric screen to reduce sunlight and cut down on unwanted visitors, aka insects.

The interior was designed by Angie Mazzone, who works for Rodgers Homes & Construction. In collaboration with Philip Rodgers, Mazzone chose the paint colors and selected the tile, wallpaper and light fixtures.

“Inside, we have a lot of color,” Jenny Rodgers said.

The master bath features a walk-in shower with enclosed tub and clerestory windows.

“We’re away from the whites and the greys. We bring in the blues and the greens. There is still some neutral in there. The ceiling has a really cool detail that our framer built into it, and our trim carpenter trimmed out; that’s really something to see. Also, there’s a lot of texture in the house with the lighting fixtures, the wallpaper and different elements of the house.”

Part of the challenge of building the Dream Home is working within financial parameters.

“We’re not trying to ask donors or subs to do something really outlandish unless they want to,” Rodgers explained. “A lot of times, they will come to us and say, ‘Hey, we really want to do this,’ like the ceiling detail the framer did. That was on his own. We try to keep it reasonable also because we are on a time constraint.”

The master ballroom brings the outdoors in with a picturesque view.

Can you imagine having a house built almost for free? That’s the way it always is with the Dream Home. This year, approximately 50 subs and vendors donated their time, talents and supplies.

“It’s not an easy task for them,” Rodgers said. “I am in such awe, honestly, of these small trade people like the trim carpenter who has just a crew of a couple of guys donating his entire bill to us. We’ve also got Builder’s Supply donating concrete for the house pad. That’s a huge expense. So, we’ve got the little guys all the way up to the big guys giving, and I think they all do it for the same reason. St. Jude is just incredible. I think we all see it. Some of those subs and donors have been able to go up to the hospital and see first-hand what they are doing. They’re saving lives globally. I feel like (the subs/vendors) know they are making an impact, even if it’s just a little. What they are doing is a part of something really huge. They come back year after year. We don’t have to ask. They just do it. It’s humbling, honestly.”

The indoor-outdoor patio design includes automated roll-up screens, furniture from Corner Collection on Line and a Big Green Egg from Tubbs.

The Rodgerses recently returned from Memphis and a St. Jude builders’ summit. Throughout the year, Dream Home builders across the country reach out to Philip for advice. After all, he has continued the legacy of his father, George, who built the country’s first Dream Home three-and-a-half decades ago.

“That’s pretty incredible to see these new guys coming in and they want to talk to Philip and ask him how he has done it for 35 years,” Rodgers said. “It’s pretty cool to see how it’s grown, and to know Philip’s dad was the original builder. I get teary-eyed thinking about George and what he started and that Philip has been able to continue that.”

To learn more about the St. Jude Dream Home, you may visit ktbs.com.