I am getting ready to install my kitchen cabinets on a new home construction. The wall between the kitchen and breakfast room currently only has a 42" high wall in which the base cabinets will rest against and then a 6" or 8" counter will be installed on top of that. The framers didnt install the upper wall to secure the wall cabinets to. The area between the base cabinets and wall cabinets is to be open.

I am capable of building the wall, but want to know what the best way to secure the wall (suspended) to the ceiling will be, without having any lateral movement. Unfortunately the roof trusses run parrallel with this wall so some kind of bracing in the ceiling will need to be done.

Also, how low should i take the bottom of the wall to? The bottom of the main cabinets will be 51" and then the wall cabinet over the sink will be roughly 70" high or so. Should i take the bottom of this wall down 1/2" to an inch below the bottom of these cabinets? I dont want to see the cabinets from the breakfast room.

One end of the wall will tie into and be secured to an existing wall as well as the ceiling. I know i should probably run full length studs to tie the top wall to the bottom wall to make the top wall more rigid and secure, but is this necessary? Or is there a way to keep the floating end from swaying if something runs into it.

 

The 6 or 8" countertop you refer to, is that a cap for the wall like a pass through??? Quite often uppers aren't attached to a wall, but to the ceiling. Are you sure they didn't install blocking in the ceiling for the installation of the cabinets? I would hate to think they went to the trouble for the knee wall and failed to provide for the uppers. I think an upper wall will make the cabinetry look too bulky, but that's just an opinion. In addition, what will support the wall? Don't rely on ceiling joists alone. You will need to build it like any other wall and tie it into the floor somehow with a header.
Hope this made a little sense. Coffee is still brewing

 

Yes, the 6 to 8" top will be a wall cap.

I am trying to find out if the framers put any blocking between the rafters to nail the top board to. If they did, its been covered by the drywall. Right now the idea is to secure the top board to the rafter braces and the right side of the wall to an existing wall and the left side would be floating. The main question here is, do I need to attach some studs on the left side from the top to the floor or can this side be floating without swaying? This wall will be supporting itself with drywall, full 36" wall cabinet and a 36"x18" wall cabinet above the sink. There will be roughly a 15" opening beween the full wall cabinet to a 30" opening at the sink, which opens up to the breakfast room.It will be similar to installing wall cabinets over an island, only im not securing the cabinet from the top to a soffit.