Filing your claim
You file in the county where the defendant lives, works or does business. You will need the defendant's correct legal name and address — a trade name alone can make a judgment unenforceable. State the claim in a sentence or two and the amount you seek. The clerk sets a hearing date and mails notice to the defendant.
Building proof
Bring the contract, estimates, receipts, cancelled checks, texts, emails, photographs, and — where the cost of repair is at issue — written estimates from independent sources. Bring copies for the judge and the other side. A witness with firsthand knowledge beats a letter from that witness, which is usually hearsay the court can discount.
The hearing itself
You may be offered arbitration before a volunteer attorney, which is typically faster but generally not appealable, or you can wait for a judge. Either way, be brief, chronological and documentary. Answer what is asked. Judges hearing a full calendar reward the litigant who can prove the loss in five minutes over the one who narrates for twenty.
Defending a small claim
Appear. A defendant who fails to appear usually loses by default. Bring your own documents, including proof of payment, communications showing the work was accepted, or evidence that the claimant caused the problem. If you have your own claim arising from the same events, you can bring a counterclaim within the court's limits.