1) Third party claim: because the "person" who caused the damage and the "person" who suffered the damage are not one and the same--you are not claiming for damage done by yourself or by natural causes, and the contractor is not claiming for damage to its own property. When there is an extra party involved, it's a 3rd party claim.2) In any state, all you are entitled to is depreciated value, since that was the then-current actual value of the destroyed or damaged items, and you are not allowed to recover more than the items were worth at the time of their loss. (The exception would be if you were claiming under your own policy *and* the policy you had bought was specifically for replacement value, the way certain automobile policies are for car replacement value, not blue book value).3) If the claim is for $30,000 or more, hire a lawyer; if less than that, the additional increase in value the lawyer might get you would likely be outweighed by the cost of the attorney him/herself.