Since the 1970s, researchers have investigated the international expansion of construction enterprises (IECE) from diverse dimensional issues, including the motivation. Different underlying reasons have been identified; however, attempts to reach a consensus of the motivation for IECE have been overlooked. This research solicits and overviews the motivation of construction enterprises with respect to overseas business expansion. It recommends a conceptual framework of the generic motivation for IECE. Nineteen motives are specified and described in a systematic review of the literature on international construction studies. They are then structured into four categories: the source of motivation (internal or external); the pattern (traditional or emerging); the response (proactive or reactive); and the objective (profit, market, resource or opportunity). Further study of this field is equally important by involving the deterrent factors of motivation. Therefore, this paper advocates an investigation of the factors impeding IECE in further related studies.