I am planning to renovate an older home and have been collecting ideas about improving the layout, materials, and overall design. However, I am unsure whether there could be hidden problems behind the walls or with the structure that I should know about first.

Some friends suggested getting advice from a building inspection company before starting any major work. Has anyone here done an inspection before renovating? Was it helpful in finding issues that were not visible during a normal visit?

I would appreciate hearing experiences from anyone who has renovated an older house and what steps they recommend before beginning the project.