<human>: Give me a shortened version of the text

[WV] I hired a contractor to put a new roof on my home and paid him half the money up front ($4500). He was starting his own business and getting his contractors license for the first half of the summer and did not complete the job. He told me that I would be first in line the next year so I let him keep the deposit over the winter. 

The next spring and summer it was one excuse after another and again the job never was completed. So for the last four months I've been trying to get him to pay me back and only succeeded in getting $1000. We have a contract and I know he is liable and that I should have no problem winning a court case but I feel that he truly does not have the money to pay me back and is scraping by so I'm not sure if bringing a lawsuit against him will net me back any money in the short term.

Do I continue to work with him until he can pay me back or go to a lawyer (and if so what kind)? If I do take him to court I want to get more out of him than just my deposit since he's treated me this way. He has also caused me other costs second hand. The reason I need a new roof (other than because it's leaking and causing interior damage) is so I can refinance and go from paying 8% interest to ~4%. Furthermore, I can't get another roofer to do this job until I'm able to repay the bank for the personal loan I took out to get my roof done in the first place.
<bot>: Roofer is screwing me over. How will a lawsuit help me get money out of him if he's broke?