Then you go after their insurance company like in the OP. If they don’t have insurance you may be able to go after the owner personally, though that’s likely to be much more costly than the dollar value of your damages.

Honestly, why are you guys so committed to this idea that contractors are these criminal masterminds who will thwart your every attempt to sue for damages? Small Claims is an incredibly routine and straightforward process, and pretending that it isn’t only serves to dissuade people from making use of it.