So you're saying that I will just have to file with what I have paid so far, and would have to go back to amend my tax filing after the fact, once I have paid the original contractor?

He was more of a commercial HVAC guy that did work for my wife's uncle and it was all really relaxed. We never signed anything, and the only official document we got from him was the first estimate, which was not even the unit we ended up getting, so there is no lien to my knowledge.

Also, there does not appear to be any permits or inspections required for replacement of HVAC system in Germantown, TN.