One thing you may want to try is to call in a couple contractors to bid the job, including making a proposal for wiring layout at the new building. You can take the best ideas from the proposals, modify them, and ask them to rebid the revised plan. This way, you get some expert eyes looking at it, and you get to tweak it up after they do the first part of the design.
Probably the best way to get the knowledge is to just see and be involved in a bunch of installations. You may even want to hire a network consultant to work with you to design the solution with you. Once you get started and working with someone who's does it for a living, you can see the logic and thought that goes into developing it. You can read alot, but it really comes together when you get into working with a specific situation.
Some of the most important things to consider are materials selection, drop locations (which you mentioned already), and growth, growth, growth! You might possibly look at a warranty from an installer who is certified from a networking vendor (for example Leviton or Ortronics), and commits to installing it to the networking vendor's specifications.
