It depends on not only the dog, but your training and leadership as well. I did exactly the same thing as Lissa, and my dog was trusted to be left alone (full run of the house) by the time he was 6 months old.
What do you mean she gets "cocky" after a couple weeks? This might be your problem, and not the crate training at all. It could be that she gets bored, excited to see you, is not exercised enough, is allowed to get away with too much when you ARE at home (or when you return)... It sounds to me that giving your dog this freedom, in his mind, raises his rank in the pack. And if it's not that, then he might just be looking for attention (does he have seperation anxiety?).
What if you left the room, but not the house (go in your room, close the door, remain quiet)? Would he wait quietly, or put up a fuss?
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We crate trained with every intention of it only for training purposes and only until she was trust-able.
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If you want to train your dog to be left alone in the house (and to be trusted), you need to remove the crate completely, and train your dog to be "left alone in the house" by teaching her what she is allowed to do (and what she's not allowed to do - ie. no chewing shoes while you're gone). Your dog is already crate trained.
