> A layman can evaluate the craftmanship and care with which a builder constructs a house without much effort: but evaluating intellectual work usually requires...

I call BS. Even if the "layman" sits and watches the builder construct the house - he'll have no clue whether the foundation will settle and crack, or if the materials are good quality, or much anything else. At least in America, the entire building industry has optimized for good looks on the cheap.