Best option for young yellow lab puppy- crate, playpen, or run

Question
Hi Labman- We need advice on where to crate/pen our 8 week old yellow lab puppy, Chiang.  We have a fenced tile yard with a planted area where Chiang eliminates, and he's pretty good with going there (few accidents so far).  The question is, during the days, where is the best place to pen/crate/leave him while un-supervised?  My fiancee and I both work from home many days, and we and others are in and out of the house a lot.  We are hesitant to crate him while there is activity in the house.  Right now, he is either in our fenced outdoor area or in a toddler's playpen in the living room (he knows not to eliminate there).  So...what's the best option in our situation?  (1) letting him 'hang out' in the fenced yard; (2) fencing in a dog run in a shady area outside where he can 'hang out' unsupervised; (3) leaving him in the indoor pen until he outgrows it; (4) crating him whenever we can't supervise him?  Thanks much!

Answer
I never crate a puppy if I am around to watch it.  When we aren't around, we always crate it.  Even a very young puppy should be OK 4-5 hours by itself in a crate.  Our schedules have always been such that one of us could make it back to give the puppy a break.  You may also be able to have a neighbor or a professional dog walker give the puppy a break if you both are away all day.