Small Claims Court Question

[James Boston]

I'm thinking of taking a guy to small claims court and wanted any possible advice before I spend money on a lawyer. Here is the sequence of events.

1) I hire a guy to put travertine counter tops in the bathrooms of a house I'm building.
2) Problems ensue, he finally finishes, I pay him in full out of relief the project is done (MY BIGGEST MISTAKE), and I eventually realize what a terrible job he did.
3) Call the guy, he acknowledges bad job, and agrees to fix it.
4) Guy goes AWOL.

I'm now considering hiring someone else to replace the couter tops entirely, but I still want some money back from the guy who botched the job.

Do I need to wait until I prove he did a bad job before proceeding with replacement? What do I sue him for? Replacement costs? His bill less the value of what he screwed up?

Any advice is appreciated.