I'm new to this site and DIYing in general, we are closing on our house at the end of the month and there are some things we would like to change.

Currently we have a large island in our kitchen (see attached pictures) and would like to raise a portion of it so that it is a bar which we could eat at. There is a short wall (I think the term is pony wall) currently on the other side of the cabinets and that wall is what we would like to make taller. Is there a way to do this without tearing out the current wall and just building a new one which is taller. We will be putting granite counter tops in eventually so I don't know if that changes the answer at all.

Thanks for all of your advice in advance.

-Kyle