If you’re thinking of adding an outdoor kitchen to your property in Fort Lauderdale, you may be wondering how significant the investment will be. In fact, your outdoor kitchen can be as simple or as ornate as you wish. The style of your kitchen depends on your personal preferences as much as your budget. However, there are some elements that most outdoor kitchens have in common.

Here are some features that you may want to incorporate into your latest home addition:

A grill

An outdoor kitchen should function just like an indoor kitchen—which means you’ll want to be cooking there. A quality grill should be the centerpiece of your outdoor kitchen, providing you with a convenient space to cook meat and vegetables. Whether you opt for a gas, electric, charcoal, or hybrid grill, this will be one of the most important purchases you make.

A refrigerator

Unless you want to keep shuttling food back and forth from one kitchen to another, your outdoor kitchen should be equipped with a refrigerator to store ingredients and leftovers. Outdoor refrigerators need to be specially designed to keep food cold even as the temperature fluctuates, so make sure that the refrigerator you purchase is designed to be used in an outdoor setting.

A sink

It’s easy to overlook the importance of a sink—after all, you don’t usually prepare food at your sink. However, a sink is essential for hand washing, rinsing dishes, and obtaining tap water whenever you need it. When you design your outdoor kitchen, don’t forget to leave some space to install a sink—preferably close to your food preparation area.

A covering

Remember that you’ll need to do something to protect your kitchen from the elements—and keep you and your guests safe and dry when it rains. That means you’ll want to consider adding an overhead feature such as a gazebo or an awning. As a bonus, adding a covering also means that you can keep using your grill even when it’s damp outside.