What recourse do I have to recover funds from a un-coopertive contractor?

[Mike Walker]

Hey everybody,

I purchased a property for a buy and hold rental strategy. The roof leaked when I purchased the property, the roof is flat, it had two areas were the water was pooling and that is where the leaks were occurring. I hired a contractor to replace the roof and correct the pooling water issue. Long story short, the contractor replaced the roof but it leaked after the first rain. I called the contractor and he came out and corrected a flashing issue. The roof currently is not leaking but it is now pooling water along the entire length of the roof near the gutter, it is not draining properly. So, not only did he not correct the pooling water issue, he made it worse. I called the contractor repeatedly but he refuses to correct the problem. I believe the pooling water is a problem just waiting to happen, compounded by the freezing and thawing of the snow and ice.

What action can I take to recover funds paid to an un-coopertive contractor?

Is small claims court the best way to handle this?