Idaho Mechanics Lien Form

 Your best bet is to sue the homeowner for breach of contract
in small claims court as the costs of using a lawyer would be cost
prohibitive. You would end up spending exponentially more on attorneys
fees than what you are owed. You would likely be entitled to recover your
attorneys fees but if you can’t afford to pay for leads, you certainly cannot
afford a lawyer. Neither party can use a lawyer in small claims court so
you will not be at a disadvantage. Make sure to submit copies of the
texts/emails from the homeowner agreeing to pay for the work. It sounds
like you have an excellent case with a high likelihood of prevailing.   

The maximum amount you can recover in small claims court is
$5,000. You can seek to recover lost profits but those are very difficult
to prove without actual contracts that you couldn’t perform due to the
homeowner’s non-payment.  

You could also record a lien against their property to
secure the amounts you are owed but you would have to file a lien foreclosure
suit to recover a judgment ordering that you be paid out of the proceeds of the
sale of the property. I strongly recommend using a lawyer to record the
lien and to prosecute the foreclosure action. There are many technical
requirements to record a valid lien. Any decent construction lawyer will
ensure that all of these requirements are met. It typically costs between
$500 - $700 to have a lawyer draft and record a lien on your behalf. If
you choose to record your own lien make sure to closely review the lien
statutes and follow their requirements to the letter. The lien statutes
are located at Idaho Code §§ 45-501 – 45-525 and are available online.
   

Best of luck.      

A contractor must record a construction lien within 90 days of its last day of non-trivial work. That said, a contractor you hire can sue you for breach of contract for up to five years after the contract is/was breached. Removing the lien will not eliminate your obligation to pay for the work. The lien will be invalid if the contractor doesn't file a lawsuit to foreclose it within 6 months of the date it is filed but it will still remain of record and could cause issues if you ever decide to sell.   

There is a statutory process to remove a lien and substitute a bond in its place. However, the only way to forcibly remove a lien is through a quiet title action.   

Given that you're not disputing you owe the money, the best way to resolve this is to locate the contractor and pay it what it is owed in exchange for a release of lien.