I am a licensed contractor in a specialty trade capacity of finish carpentry and mill work. The client hired me directly. I wrote up estimates for the requested work including drawing details. There was no "Contract" per say. I gave my clients invoices bi weekly as the work was completed for progress payments. They received estimates for the proposed work ahead of the project, paid a deposit and then started adding in other work to the project, and I began a listed addendum sheet to the project. At the 3 week time frame of my beginning the project, the client came to me and told me that she and her husband had just read the estimate/ agreement after they had returned from a 3 week vacation to discover that they did not expect the charges I was submitting. They had paid a project deposit, at the beginning, and that deposit amount was deducted from the original work and material costs that I had supplied and provided. 3 more weeks had gone by, they paid me the deducted amounts on my estimated work as well as the addendum work. They then decided that they were finished with me as a worker /contractor and asked that we "Part ways". They then decided that they wanted materials that I had purchase, but were not included in the deposit payment. They then refused to pay me for the addendum's and part of the original work agreed upon, and the final week of work I did for them on their addendum list claiming that the work I had done on the addendum list was not approved because I had not gotten the original project completed. Now my question after I've filed the lien: How likely is it that I will get paid by them before I bring a law suit? And even if I force the lien, who pays me? And/Or is it like small claims court where I can win my claim, but cannot collect?