Local Contractor damaged my in-ground powerline. How difficult is it to sue them in JP Courts myself?

A contractor local to the Houston area was hired to install a home generator at my house. During the installation they accidentally damaged the aluminum in-ground powerline that runs between the local transformer and my home and it could no longer supply full power to the home (dropped a phase). Contractor refused to replace the line and insisted they could repair it, even though virtually every other knowledgeable person I spoke with said it was a bad idea. I ultimately allowed them to repair it to avoid having to take them to court, but the line failed again two years later. I hired a new contractor to replace the line and it was obvious that the repair is what failed (corroded through because they left some aluminum exposed).

I contacted the original contractor and, after sending someone to inspect it and dragging things out for over a month, they offered me an agreement to pay for the replacement only if I signed a contract not to write any bad reviews or tell anyone about the situation (which is laughable because my house has lost power twice… I've already talked about it to friends/family) or risk owing the contractor between $5k-$10k depending on the situation ($5k for disparagement, and another $5k for breaking confidentiality). I refused, mostly because I find it predatory.

I know the Justice of the Peace Courts ("Small Claims Courts") exist for this sort of situation, but I've never had to use them before. Does anyone have an experience they could share with filing/navigating the (Harris county) courts as a legal lay-person?